We must end violence against women

Like many of you, I have been closely following the disturbing news about Sarah Everard's disappearance this week. My heart goes out to Sarah’s family, friends and loved ones. I can’t imagine what they are going through. 

The public response to what has happened highlights the shocking prevalence of everyday violence against women. A YouGov survey for UN Women UK released this week has found that almost all young women in the UK have been subjected to some form of sexual harassment. Among women aged 18-24, 97% said they had been sexually harassed.

In Parliament, Jess Phillips MP read the names of women killed by men in the last year. It took her 4 minutes… And anyone spending time on social media this week will have had an unsettling insight into what is a daily reality for so many women.  

This week began with International Women's day, where women took to social media to share stories of empowerment. Yet it ended with women sharing their stories of harassment, showing that there is still so much to be done.

I was particularly struck by this tweet: 

Every woman you know has taken a longer route. 
Has doubled back on herself. 
Has pretended to dawdle by a shop window.
Has held her keys in her hand. 
Has made a fake phone call.
Has rounded a corner and run.
Every woman you know has walked home scared.
Every woman you know.

As a society, we have normalised and come to accept this reality. It’s important that we listen and hear women as they share their experiences of feeling scared about things men don’t even think about, and that we take action.  We need to focus on how men can act and engage on tackling male violence and educate younger children on healthy, respectful relationships. 

As a Council, we will do all we can to make sure that every woman can walk home without fear and feels safe in her home and her community. 

Last month, we launched a new programme to look at why people carry out domestic abuse and ways to change their behaviour. We also have a range of domestic abuse services available to the community. Details here: https://notaloneinsutton.org.uk/

But we recognise that we need to do more to make sure that our public spaces and our streets are safe. I encourage you to get in touch if there are any areas that we need to look at and if you have any other ideas.