Government must take action – the Femicide Census.
7th December 2016
The Femicide census is the first detailed analysis of deadly male violence against women in England and Wales and the figures show that more action must be taken.
Northumbria’s Police & Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC, has called on the government to take action following the release of figure by the Femicide census that more than 900 women were killed by men in England and Wales over a six year period, most by their current or former partners. Between 2009 and 2015, 936 women were killed by men, of which 598 were killed by their current or former partners and 75 by their sons. So far in 2016, over 100 women have been killed.
Commissioner Baird said “The government is going someway in addressing the problem, but these figures prove that more needs to be done. We need to see action that includes ensuring that domestic abuse and sexual violence services have sustainable, long term funding. We have seen in our own region, women who have lost their lives in horrific attacks by their partners. The Femicide census shows that these killings are not isolated incidents and we all have a duty to ensure their death isn’t just a statistic and that action follows”.
Mrs Baird added “Women are often at risk when they leave an abusive relationship, here in Northumbria I have worked hard with partners to ensure as much support and help is in place to those who seek it. However, this crime is often a silent crime and we need the government to take more action to ensure that a proper, long term funding strategy. These services need to plan for the next five to ten years – to ensure proper support is available when needed and not being reliant on short term funding cycles”.
As Femicide is a leading cause of premature death for women, Vera Baird has urged the government to ensure there is proper research in to the issues, so the findings can influence government decisions.
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