The Green Party Home Affairs spokesperson, Peter Cranie, has welcomed the extension of the Domestic Violence Protection scheme to the whole of the UK. The schemes was piloted in Greater Manchester and will be extended to cover all of England and Wales from March 2014. [1]
Cranie said: “This scheme is urgently needed to provide support to those experiencing domestic violence. As a former child protection social worker, I’ve seen the appalling impact that domestic violence can have on families, and have worked first hand to tackle it. I welcome this measure, which addresses some of the issues around domestic violence, but there is a great deal more to do.”
The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups [2], also released this week, highlights that violence and sexual violence against women and girls has become routine in some parts of the country. The report finds that the objectification of women in music and pornographic industries has a great deal to answer for in creating such attitudes, with young girls being treated as commodities within gangs.
Peter added: “Our society's values rely on those who play leading roles setting the tone. The continued objectification of women, for example on page 3 of the Sun newspaper, shows that businesses such as News International are failing to live up to their responsibilities. While we must take steps to protect those who face immediate risks from violence, there is a bigger societal shift that is needed. Right now we have a so-called “news” paper which continues to promote women as objects. That has to change if we are to make wider changes in attitude.”
Caroline Lucas MP has been at the forefront of the NoMorePage3 campaign and the Green Party will continue to challenge sexism, remaining at the forefront of equal rights campaigning.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/domestic-violence-protection-orders-and-domestic-violence-disclosure-scheme
[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25090896