We recently marked International Women’s Day – a moment to celebrate the phenomenal contribution that women have made and continue to make in our lives, our communities and our society.
And it was also a chance to reflect on how far we have come. To think about how our lives are different to our mothers’ and grandmothers’.
In lots of respects, society has moved forward. Progress has been made. But I will not accept any suggestion that women should be grateful for basic rights. That includes the right to feel safe, whether at home, at work or in public places. On that point, sadly, we still have a long way to go.
Because the truth is that an intolerable number of women are not safe. And many, many more do not feel safe. Too many promises have gone unfulfilled. Women and girls are still suffering violence and abuse on a scale that shames our country.
The subject of women’s safety has been central to my working life, both before I was an MP and since I entered Parliament. And I am not prepared to let this opportunity slip away.
As part of our Safer Streets Mission, which is essential to the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, we have set ourselves the landmark mission of halving violence against women and girls in a decade.
The truth is that it would have been easier not to put ourselves in that position. But the easy path will not get us to where we need to go. It will not help the women and girls who want and deserve to live their lives free from harm and fear.
This is not a choice – it is a necessity, and the work of change is already well under way. And we have already begun to make progress.
We have introduced new legislation on spiking, and training for staff in the hospitality sector. We are legislating to help make sure victims of stalking are better protected. We have begun embedding domestic abuse specialists in the first five 999 control rooms to improve the police response to domestic abuse and ensure victims receive the support they deserve.
But we don’t just want to keep women safe, they need to feel safe too - and for this, increased visibility of police will be critical.
The first step in our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, announced this week, will introduce 3,000 more officers and community support officers into our neighbourhoods.
This isn’t just about reducing crime, it’s about how women feel. For too long, visible officer presence in our communities has been declining, impacting how women feel on our streets, particularly at night.
It should not matter where you live – everyone woman deserves local, visible policing they can trust. Each neighbourhood will have named, contactable officer to ensure no one feels ignored when they need help.
And this is just the first step. We have committed to an additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers by the end of Parliament, and this will be critical for our mission to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.
Perpetrators should know we will use every tool and resource we have to root them out and stop these horrific crimes. Our message is clear: we will be unrelenting in our effort to keep women and girls safe. We will always put the needs of victims and survivors first.
The time for talking is over. Women and girls deserve action – and this government will deliver it.