Caroline joins Brighton Women's Walk

22 July 2013

 

On Sunday Caroline joined the Brighton Walk for Women.  Paying tribute to the thousands of women who walked hundreds of miles to campaign for the vote in 1913, she said:

“One hundred years ago, thousands of women walked to London to demand the vote.  They fought to give us all a voice. 

“There is still much to do.  Since women won the right to sit in Parliament in 1918, there have only been 369 women MPs.   Yet in Parliament right now, there are over 500 male MPs.  In 356 constituencies, they have NEVER had a female MP.

“I’m proud to be the first woman MP in Brighton Pavilion.  It’s no exaggeration to say there’s a huge amount to do.    It’s not just that women are under-represented in politics, in business, in the media, and in power. 

“It’s that we live in a culture where violence against women is endemic.  In Brighton and Hove, 11,000 women experience domestic abuse each year.   Violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  The daily diet of images of women as available for men makes it more likely that discrimination and harassment are accepted.

“Finally, the government’s cruel and counterproductive austerity agenda is hurting women most of all.  Women use public services most; they work in them most; and if they’re cut, women are most likely to be the ones who step in to fill the gap. 

“The struggle of the suffragettes teaches us to constantly speak up and speak out, to be courageous, and not to give up.”

Find out more about the Women’s Walk