Male violence against women and girls is both endemic and systemic. It is a constant daily experience for women and girls. From street harassment, poor access to women’s reproductive health services and abortion, domestic violence and rape. Across our planet sexualised violence has been used to punish, terrorise and exact “revenge” on communities in “wars” which are supported and created by capitalist demands for resources; whether this be conflict diamonds, mineral wealth as seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or simply land. Women’s bodies bear the brunt of male aggression and capitalist greed. Male violence kills, tortures and maims millions of women and girls across the world every day.

The statistics below only give the “official” picture in England and Wales. Many victims/survivors do not report their experiences to state agencies. This mean that the data does not show the true scale of violence. Services such as specialist Black/Global majority women’s services, Rape Crisis Centres and Women’s Aid refuges are a lifeline for many victim/survivors. The numbers of women and children being supported in this way is not presented in the “official” data. We also know that many victims/survivors are prevented from accessing support. While their experiences are not part of the “numbers”, we hold their truths in our hearts.

Violence against women and girls in the UK:

• One woman in four will experience domestic violence at some point in her life.

• Over the last year, at least one in twelve women in England and Wales would have been subjected to male violence including stalking, harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence. The perpetrators of this violence are getting younger.

• Domestic violence has more repeat victims than any other crime.

• 41% of UK girls aged 14 to 17 in an intimate relationship experienced some form of sexual violence from their partner.

• One woman in four will experience sexual assault as an adult.

• Women are more worried about rape than any other crime.

• The government’s Forced Marriage Unit responded to 280 cases of forced marriage in 2023.

• Nearly 90% of local authorities do not have a rape crisis centre.

In the UK, the social and economic costs of domestic violence exceed 25 billion pounds every year. Yet, lack of funding to women’s services and cuts to public funding are forcing more women and children to live with abusive men as they are unable to access safety and support.

Two women are murdered every week by their partner or ex-partner. Three women a week in the UK commit suicide due to the trauma of domestic violence. This is the reality within which women and children live and die.

Our Sisters have not been “lost” to violence. Their lives have been stolen by individual men, by the state, by institutions and by families.

#NeverForgotten #WhyWeRise