Labour MP Apsana Begum – Tackling Violence against Women & Girls Means Opposing Austerity, Racism & War
By Apsana Begum MP
Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. The statistics are stark and frightening. Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical or sexual intimate partner violence at least once in their life.
As an ongoing survivor of domestic abuse and Chair of the APPG on Domestic Abuse and Violence, I know that Violence Against Women and Girls can affect people at all stages and in all aspects of their lives. That is why I led a debate in Parliament to mark the United Nation’s Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25th November – 10th December) to highlight the chilling scale of the problem.
There can be no question that the criminal justice system woefully lets down survivors demonstrated by the mistrust of the police being at an all-time high, abysmal prosecution and conviction rates, the crisis in legal aid and lack of independent legal advice for survivors. Not only does the law and court systems let us down, but they can also even be used by our abusers.
Ending impunity by holding perpetrators accountable, establishing a zero tolerance and providing support at every stage of system is imperative. However, just as the impact of Violence Against Women and Girls is vast and far reaching, so must be the solution. A whole-system approach is therefore vital.
The cost-of-living crisis is especially dangerous for those faced with a choice that is no choice – remaining in an unsafe environment or facing destitution or homelessness. Lower incomes, rising poverty and soaring rents mean that people feel trapped into a relationship even when they need to leave. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the current Violence Against Women and Girls crisis comes after fourteen years of attacks on social security.
Women are more vulnerable to poverty due to lower incomes and wealth and because they are more likely to have caring responsibilities. This leaves them more reliant on social security and public services and means they are impacted more severely when public services and social security are cut. The sanctions regime and punitive measures such as the two-child benefit can trap people in abusive relationships.
Economic vulnerability and social isolation mean that Disabled women are twice as likely to experience abuse. Austerity and cuts to disability benefits support have for too many ripped away the means to live dignified, fulfilling, and independent lives. The ongoing scapegoating of Disabled people, with politicians and media outlets blaming welfare for society’s economic woes, fosters a dehumanizing punitive discourse of suspicion and discrimination. Likewise, the crisis in social care means that older people are also particularly vulnerable to domestic abuse.
The Women’s Budget Group has argued that “economic violence” has disregarded the needs of women, reduce the already inadequate services that they rely on, and deprioritise their safety and wellbeing. Oxfam’s publication, The Assault of Austerity, argued that most common austerity measures have been shown to precipitate both direct and indirect forms of Violence Against Women and Girls.
The specific funding crisis for domestic abuse services and other support continues to be catastrophic. The funding of such services literally can be the difference between life and death, hope and despair, imprisonment or empowerment.
Being anti-austerity and opposing attacks on social security are therefore both critical to tackling Violence against Women and Girls.
Safe, affordable housing – including social homes – for women and girls escaping is an urgent necessity and protection from eviction for survivors is essential.
In fact, domestic abuse is by its very nature a housing issue, with perpetrators often creating a context of fear and curtailed freedom usually within or association with the home. Indeed, there is a reason that my ex-husband and his supporters are so focussed on my living arrangements and regularly try to use the media in this regard still all these years after trying the vexatious case that was pursued against me about my housing.
Violence Against Women and Girls is also a workplace issue. For around one in ten survivors, the abuse continues in the workplace – often as their partner turning up at their workplace or stalking them outside their workplace – something that I know first-hand. It also can also have an impact on an individual’s working life i.e. unexplained absences, lateness, and negatively impacting performance.
It is undisputedly the case that being a member of a trade union is the best way for workers to ensure their rights and this is certainly the case for survivors who will invariably need things like flexible working and paid leave.
Violence Against Women and Girls is also a question of migrant rights. The current political climate has created a toxic dangerous atmosphere for migrant women and immigration status and the fear of deportation are used as control tactics by perpetrators. It is therefore also a matter of urgency that the No Recourse to Public Funds rule is scrapped and that there is an end to the hostile environment.
Migrant women, including those who are pregnant, are being detained in Immigration Detention centres as I speak – this is despite centres like Yarl’s Wood being the subject of considerable political and media attention due to high-profile allegations of sexual abuse and mistreatment over the years.
Globally we know that Violence Against Women and Girls continues to be exacerbated by conflicts and imperialism. Palestinian women are not only facing the brutal reality of the “war on women” in Gaza, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry (June 2024) found that sexual and gender-based violence constitutes a major element in the ill-treatment of Palestinians by Israeli officials, intended to humiliate the community at large. Likewise, in August 2024, Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem also released a report highlighting the systematic abuse, torture, sexual violence and rape of Palestinian detainees.
So tackling Violence Against Women and Girls must be internationalist and include calling for a ceasefire and the stopping all UK arms to be sent to Israel or anywhere else to kill women.
Whilst Violence Against Women and Girls can affect individuals of all backgrounds, sadly society itself does not treat all survivors equally. Not only can the power and control the abuser wealds to perpetrate abuse interact with the range of experiences of oppression, but systemic discrimination can also make it is harder for individuals to seek help. Fears of discrimination or bias – such as racism, homophobia, or transphobia – are exacerbated by incidences of people being denied assistance and services.
When speaking out about my experiences I have been particularly anxious to not participate in perpetuating tired racist tropes against Muslims. Racism is in fact a driver and facilitator of abuse – leading to the voices and lives of ethnic minority women overlooked and devalued. It is fundamentally important that any Violence Against Women and Girls strategy must be actively anti-racist.
As we continue to raise awareness following on from the United Nation’s Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we need to be clear that this is not a side or separate issue but at its core is a question of equality and the type of world we live in. It is intrinsically connected to structural discrimination, exploitation and the intersection of different oppressions.
This is why, the history of challenging Violence Against Women and Girls has always had pioneering activism, fighting for social change, at its heart. The movement has been driven by the bravery of so many who spoke out and organised despite the challenges against them – internationalist and anti-imperialist; opposing austerity and exploitation; and calling for justice and human rights for all.
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