We have a moment where we women who have been fighting for better for generations have the wind at our back.
I wish that the heavy hand of the law had been there when I was sexually assaulted.
I wish for every woman I’ve ever worked with that they had been there for them too.
The reality is if Cressida Dick stays or goes doesn’t make women in this country more safe.
That’s what I want to talk about.
The Bill today does absolutely nothing currently to increase sentences for rapists, stalkers, or those who batter, control and abuse women.
It does nothing about street harassment and assaults.
There is more mention of statues than there is of women.
I think you should get more for rape than you do for defacing a statue.
You currently can get more for fly-tipping than you can get for stalking.
Under the Conservatives, rape convictions have fallen to an all-time low, and domestic abuse conviction rates are dropping off a cliff.
The police over the past few years haven’t done enough to increase charging.
Let’s face it, they don’t have the resources after years of cuts.
Tackling hidden crimes like domestic violence and misogyny, it takes leadership.
As somebody who is bringing up boys I’m not going to sit here and give mothers another reason to be bashed.
But I think that we’ve got a responsibility to be looking at the way that we educate, the way that all of society operates, that means that women end up being treated as objects on our streets.
It’s not all men, but it is all women.
Jess Phillips is Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding
