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TeaThat government is right. for far too long, Violence against women and girls is not taken as seriously as it should beThis has been a scam for a long time – but if anything, the situation is getting worse,
Over the course of more than a century, emancipation, breakthroughs in equal rights, changes in abortion laws, generally more enlightened opinion, and, more recently, metoo movement In fact, a persistent problem has been hidden and complacency has been encouraged. There is no place for him now.
Now, with the flood of poor content online and growing signs of toxic masculinity distorting the behavior of today’s boys and young men, concerted action is needed more than ever across all public authorities. To deal with the violence that occurs – But to prevent dangerous tendencies and habits from inculcating from an early age, parents and teachers must also be supported in the front lines of this struggle.
No one believes the task will be easy, but Security Minister Jess Phillips, no stranger to misogynistic abuse, is right to declare it a “national emergency”. He and his colleagues appear committed to tackling the challenge with the same seriousness and technique which have been deployed with some success against terrorismThe government’s target to halve violence against women and girls over the next 10 years is absolutely ambitious,
The focus on preventing the radicalization of boys and teenagers is particularly encouraging. This is where the problem starts: online, where the attitudes of self-consciously masculine individuals can deeply influence young minds.
The task is first to help teachers and parents prevent boys and men from becoming abusers. This means dealing with micro-aggressions against women as well as the increasing scale of abusive behavior – taking or manipulating images for sexual gratification and blackmail, “jokes” that are nothing more than harassment and, ultimately, outright aggression and attacks.
any inclination towards Online content is worsening behaviorSuch as violent pornography, and a resurgence in portraying women as inferior beings – virtual domestic slaves and sex objects.
For example, a relatively new phenomenon, “Nudification” is the use of software toolsWhich falsely enables users to undress and create intimate photographs without the consent of the people depicted. The government has to ban these, but much more needs to be done to control the tech giants who make so much money by promoting hatred and violence.
The Online Security Act passed in 2023 is already outdated, as users, including digitally savvy youth, find ways to circumvent security measures. Police will be able to monitor domestic abusers to help stop them re-offending, using the same powers they have to track down child sexual abusers.
No grooming gang should be able to operate more independently than a terrorist cell – and security services should be deployed to help the police arrest such criminals and remove them from the community. The rights of women and girls, whether victims or potential victims, must be put before anyone else.
Such is the pace of this cat-and-mouse game that the law needs to be strengthened on an annual basis to keep pace with new technology and the endless cunning of criminals. It will certainly be interesting to see if success comes through. Australia bans social media for under-16s,
Resources are always scarce, but it is also true that, despite tight spending constraints, despite new efforts to stop them, more money is being found to deal with such abuses as they occur. Some £1 billion is to be dedicated to the welfare of victims, of which half is to be spent on providing safe accommodation for victims of abuse as they escape their abusers (such as safe havens provided by the UK). The Independent’successful Brick by Brick campaign earlier this year).
Even relatively minor, inexpensive improvements can make a big difference. New specialist rape and sexual crimes teams in each police force will ensure that cases are not neglected and combat any misogynistic tendencies among police constables (something that was scandalously exposed) In the murder of Sarah EverardFaster disposal of rape cases through more specialist courts would reduce the time victims have to endure and improve conviction rates.
There remains much work to do to stop violence against women and girls, and Labor calls it “our historic mission” to halve it, which is extremely challenging. But that’s no reason not to take the next step, and all the more reason to empower parents, caregivers and teachers to do what they know needs to be done. This is a progressive cause in every sense of the word.