Women’s Aid respond to findings of the British Transport Police Authority’s annual report showing an increase in crimes against women and girls
Sarika Seshadri, Head of Research and Evaluation at Women’s Aid, said:
“It is alarming that the number of violent crimes against women and girls reported to the British Transport Police has risen by 50% in the last two years. At Women’s Aid, we know that many women and girls choose not to report their experiences of abuse to the police, which means that scale of the issue is likely to be much larger still than these shocking figures themselves.
We know from our Come Together to End Domestic Abuse survey of UK attitudes to domestic abuse (2022) that misogynistic attitudes, which fuel violence against women and girls (VAWG), are still prevalent in the UK. A recent report from the NPCC, which identified VAWG as a national emergency, also highlighted the connection between an increase of misogynistic influencers online and reports of VAWG. The sad reality is, that the increased number of reports will likely be due to more women and girls experiencing gender-based abuse.
While public transport can be an unsafe space for all women, it is important that we remember that those Black and minoritised women will experience heightened insecurity using it. Just one example of this is the horrific and unjust racist attack on Southall Black Sisters’ CEO, Selma Taha, while on the tube with friends in London, which demonstrates just how unsafe public transport can be. We know that the recent escalation of Islamophobic and racist riots is likely to have left all women, and particularly Muslims and Black and minoritised women feeling more vulnerable than ever. As a society, we must be able to step up and ensure women are safe to just live their lives without fear of attack.”
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