Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

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19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 General Recommendation 19 - Violence against women and girls General Recommendation 19 makes it clear that violence against women and girls (VAWG) violates their human rights under CEDAW. VAWG can constitute torture as defined under the terms of the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT). 1 The UK Government has been asked what steps have been taken to ensure that all cases of violence against women are swiftly investigated, prosecuted and punished and that women receive immediate protection, redress and compensation 2 by the CAT Committee. (See Appendix: 34) Rape, domestic violence, trafficking and female genital mutilation (FGM) can be treated as a breach of human rights by the State because of a failure to protect victims or prosecute offenders. We are pleased to see that VAWG is a focus of the Government’s 7th Periodic Report 3 but are concerned that a gendered understanding of this is being lost as women-only services are being challenged and there are increasing cuts to and closure of specialist VAWG services. (See Appendix: 5) The detrimental impact of VAWG on women’s health is also overlooked even though this has a huge impact on State spending on health services and on the economy, as well as on individuals and families. (See Article 12) VAWG is a human rights issue and is predominately perpetrated against women and girls by men. Public authorities have obligations to tackle domestic, sexual and other forms of VAWG under Article 2 (the right to life), Article 3 (the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment) and Article 14 (the prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights. 4 Each year across the UK up to three million women experience violence, including domestic violence (DV), rape and sexual violence, sexual harassment, forced marriage, (See Article 16 and Appendix: 29 for more information) crimes in the name of ‘honour’, FGM, (See Appendix: 33) trafficking and sexual exploitation. (See Article 6) More than one in four women (4.8 million) aged between 16 and 59 have been affected by DV; 5 50% of women who have experienced DV are raped within their abusive relationship; 6 23% of women have been sexually assaulted as an adult 7 and up to 6,500 girls are at risk of FGM in the UK every year. 8 (See Appendix: 33) Apart from the physical and psychological damage that the perpetrators of these crimes cause, VAWG costs society £40bn a year, including criminal investigation costs, housing and social services support, and statutory services that support survivor’s physical and mental health needs. 9 (See Appendix: 21) Violence against women, both intimate partner violence and sexual violence, are major public health problems. 10 Without early intervention, they present significant social and economic costs – for women and their families, for public services and the economy 1. Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cat.html 2. Committee Against Torture, 50th Session (6th May-31st May 2013) http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/cats50.htm 3. Government Equalities Office (2011) CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women) report. United Kingdom’s Seventh Periodic Report. GEO: London http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/equalities/international-equality/7thcedaw-report?view=Binary 4. See Opuz v Turkey [2009] ECHR 870 5. Home Office (2010) Crime in England and Wales 2009 to 2010: findings from the British crime survey and police recorded crime http:// www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb1210/ 6. Martin, E K., Taft, C. T. and Resick, P. A. (2007) ‘A review of marital rape. Aggression and Violent Behaviour’ 12(3), 329-347 7. Home Office (2007) Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/ homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/sexual-violence-action-plan.html 8. FORWARD, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) http://www.forwarduk.org.uk/key-issues/fgm Accessed: 21/04/13 9. Kali, A., Joy, I. And Jarvinen, J. (2008) Hard Knock Life: Violence against women. A guide for donors and funders. New Philanthropy Capital: London http://www.thinknpc.org/publications/hard-knock-life/ 10. World Health Organisation (2012) Violence Against Women: Intimate partner and sexual violence against women. Factsheet 239, November 2012 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/ 170 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013
19.6 19.7 19.8 as well as for our communities and society. DV costs £5.8bn a year 11 and the cost of sexual offences in a year is estimated to be £8.46bn, with each reported rape costing an estimated £96,000. 12 VAWG also seriously depresses women’s ability to contribute to society and the economy. The World Health Organisation found that preventing violence is both cost beneficial and cost effective 13 however, the UK Government has not done enough to address this. Changes to welfare benefits also risk increasing women’s financial dependency on men, making it harder for women to leave violent relationships. Universal Credit will be paid as a single payment to one partner in a couple and concern has been expressed that this will increase women’s financial dependency on their male partners 14 and it is likely to increase incidents of DV. (See Article 13) Increased conditionality of benefits may also impact women who are unable to seek work because of trauma or ongoing mental health problems as a result of abuse. In focus groups run by the (now closed) Women’s National Commission (See Appendix: 3) for the Department of Health, some women complained that GPs who worked as medical examiners for Jobcentre Plus had no understanding of rape and sexual violence and how this might prevent women from working. Women reported having their benefits cut because Jobcentre Plus staff failed to recognise the ongoing problems they were suffering as a result of the violence they had experienced. 15 In addition, cuts to Housing Benefit may make it harder for women to move out of an area to get away from their attacker. The importance of financial advocacy has also been raised, including benefit and debt management. Women with children said this support was crucial in order for them to protect and provide for their children. 16 This is the case particularly for Black, minority ethnic and refugee (BMER) survivors of VAWG that find it difficult to navigate the system as a result of language and cultural barriers. However, it is precisely these services which are being reduced. (See Appendix: 5) Progressive developments that seek to safeguard and address gender issues and voluntary sector provision, such as the Compact, 17 have been ignored, under-used or misused within local service development strategies and even removed altogether, as in the case of the Gender Equality Duty. Furthermore, the language used around VAWG is also becoming genderneutral which continues to undermine the value of women-only provision. 18 The current emphasis should remain in recognition of the power dynamic involved in most VAWG – which is perpetrated by men against women. The use of the more generic term ‘gender based violence’ detracts from recognising this power dynamic 19 and should not be used in communications about VAWG. 11. Hirsch, A. (2008) ‘Domestic violence ‘costs £5.8bn’’, The Guardian, 25th November 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/ nov/25/gender-economy-domestic-violence-women 12. Home Office (2005) The economic and social costs of crime against individuals and households 2003/04. http://webarchive. nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100413151441/crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/statistics/statistics39.htm 13. World Health Organisation (2004) The Economic Dimensions of Interpersonal Violence http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/ publications/violence/economic_dimensions/en/ 14. Goode, J., Callender, C. and Lister, M.R. (1998) Purse or Wallet? Gender Inequalities of Income in Families on Benefits. Joseph Rowntree Foundation/Policy Studies Institute: London 15. Women’s National Commission (2010) A Bitter Pill To Swallow: Report from WNC Focus Groups to inform the Department of Health Taskforce on the Health Aspects of Violence Against Women and Girls. WNC: London http://wnc.equalities.gov.uk/work-of-the-wnc/ violence-against-women/news-and-updates/309-a-bitter-pill-to-swallow-report-from-the-wnc-focus-groups.html 16. Victim Support (2012) Listening and Learning: Improving support for victims in London. Produced by Victim Support in partnership with the Home Office and Ministry of Justice http://www.victimsupport.org/About-us/Policy-and-research/~/media/Files/Publications/ ResearchReports/VSA%20reports/Listening%20and%20learning%20-%20London 17. See Compact Voice (2012) http://www.compactvoice.org.uk/about-compact Accessed: 21/03/13 18. FORWARD and Imkaan (2011) The Road to Sustainability: A review of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee organisations working with women on health and gender based violence in England. A study commissioned by the Women’s Health and Equality Consortium. WHEC: London http://www.whec.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/07/TheRoadtoSustainabilityExecSummary2011.pdf 19. Victim Support (2012) Listening and Learning: Improving support for victims in London. Produced by Victim Support in partnership with the Home Office and Ministry of Justice http://www.victimsupport.org/About-us/Policy-and-research/~/media/Files/Publications/ ResearchReports/VSA%20reports/Listening%20and%20learning%20-%20London Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013 171
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Women’s equality in the UK - A he
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Women’s equality in the UK - A he
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Appendices (online only) Appendix 1
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• the continued discrimination ag
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• Develop a common model of analy
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Article 9 - Nationality: One third
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investment in social infrastructure
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and increase the marginalisation of
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have been no prosecutions in Englan
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1 2 3 4 5 Introduction This is a Un
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10 11 12 13 housing crisis, a ‘lo
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1.1 1.2 1.3 Article 1 - Overarching
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1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 Women’
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1.17 1.18 1.19 Young women We are a
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2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 consult to “remov
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2.12 2.13 discrimination”. Howeve
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2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 worsen gen
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2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 CEDAW and the l
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3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 would “increase
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3.15 3.16 3.17 and accountable EHRC
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3.22 3.23 3.24 report is was partic
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classes, migrants, and Gypsy, Trave
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the institutional discrimination an
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5.5 5.6 5.7 Case study: 8 Sandra li
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5.12 5.13 5.14 issue. A more approp
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6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Article 6 - Exploit
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6.9 6.10 6.11 to the protection and
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6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 Office’s own
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6.24 6.25 6.26 women and increase t
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6.31 6.32 6.33 6.34 infrequent lap
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7.1 7.2 Article 7 - Political and p
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7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 The House of Lords
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7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 Recommenda
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7.21 7.22 7.23 Political representa
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9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Article
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9.9 9.10 Mainstreaming gender in th
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9.15 9.16 9.17 biased views towards
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9.21 9.22 9.23 9.24 women. 47 (See
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9.28 9.29 9.30 9.31 New family migr
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9.35 9.36 UKBA, where men and women
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9.39 9.40 9.41 9.42 • Do not redu
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9.46 Research on immigration case m
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10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 The Educat
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10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 boys and on
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10.22 10.23 allow speakers to promo
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10.29 10.30 10.31 10.32 Case study:
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10.37 10.38 10.39 10.40 • Many wo
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10.46 10.47 10.48 applications (fig
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11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Article 11 - Em
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11.8 11.9 are 754,000 women working
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11.14 11.15 11.16 11.17 11.18 The g
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11.24 11.25 11.26 per week or they
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11.31 11.32 11.33 Introducing more
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11.37 11.38 Case study: 83 Jasmine
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11.42 11.43 11.44 11.45 At the 2012
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12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 of women and en
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12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 Translators
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12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 Barriers to
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12.25 12.26 12.27 12.28 Gypsy and T
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Page 189 and 190: 19.70 19.71 19.72 Invisibility of s
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Page 195 and 196: Annex 1: The Devolved Administratio
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Page 203 and 204: ESA - Employment and Support Allowa
Page 205 and 206: Annex 5: Acknowledgements Many than
Page 207: Women’s Resource Centre is suppor
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