Violence against women: crime stats reveal risks women and girls face in Milton Keynes

An analysis of figures from Thames Valley Police reveals the risks that women face, with murder, rape and abuse contributing to what campaigners describe as a deadly 'global pandemic' of violence against women.

According to a report from the Femicide Census, a research and campaigning organisation, 43 of those killed in Thames Valley in the decade to 2018 were females aged over 14. They were all killed by men.

And Thames Valley Police figures show that almost 2,000 women and girls reported rape in just a year.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said in response to these findings: “Thames Valley Police takes reports of violence against women extremely seriously and will always conduct enquiries and investigate any reports made.

“We continually encourage the public to make reports to the force, and encourage families, friends, colleagues and neighbours to be vigilant and make a report to police if they believe that anyone is a victim of violence.

“There is also a broader range of support available to anyone who makes a report throughout the course of an investigation, as well as specialist and longer term advice through partner agencies.

“Reports can be made to the force by calling 101, making a report online, or 999 in an emergency.”

Home Office statistics show that women are disproportionately impacted by sex crimes and are more likely to be victims of stalking, harassment and domestic abuse than men.

A spokeswoman for Rape Crisis called for radical action in the fight to end violence against women and warned that the scope of the problem is much higher than official figures suggest.

Of the 2,076 rape cases recorded in Thames Valley in the year to March 2020, 92% involved female victims, as did 85% of 2,198 sexual assaults dealt with by the force in that time.

There were also more than 25,000 crimes flagged as domestic abuse by officers in that period – the equivalent of 11 in every thousand people being violently or psychologically abused by someone they know.

Figures for the whole of England and Wales show that at least two-thirds of domestic abuse victims in that period were female.

More than 70% of the 2,075 women and girls killed in the decade to March 2020 knew their murderer, compared to almost half of the male murder victims. Women are more likely to be killed in a domestic setting, while men are commonly killed on the streets.

Domestic abuse has increased during the coronavirus lockdowns but a Rape Crisis spokeswoman said: “Violence against women and girls is a global pandemic that long pre-exists Covid-19.

“In this country alone, it severely and negatively impacts millions of lives, communities and society as a whole – and it is deadly.

“The vast majority of it is never reported to the police and when it is, it rarely ends in criminal justice being served.”

She called on society to come together to “end the narrative that tells women they are responsible for preventing male violence and instead tell perpetrators and potential perpetrators that we will not tolerate violence against women and girls any longer.”

Surveys suggest that women and girls are also regularly harassed in public, with a recent YouGov poll for UN Women finding that at least seven out of 10 in the UK had experienced sexual harassment on the street.

Official statistics do not reflect the scale of this specific issue but do show that Thames Valley officers investigated 6,807 harassment allegations and 777 stalking cases.

The most recent Crime Survey for England and Wales found that almost one in five women had been stalked, compared to fewer than one in 10 men.

Home Secretary Priti Patel urged people to share their views with the Government after thousands shared their experiences of violence and abuse following the death of Sarah Everard.

She said: “So many of you have bravely shared your own experiences of harassment, abuse and violence online over recent days, so today I am re-opening our nationwide call for views on tackling violence against women and girls. The government is listening.

“Everyone should be free to walk our streets without the slightest fear. With Sarah and her family in my thoughts and prayers, I will continue to do all I can in my role as Home Secretary to protect women and girls.”

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