Domestic violence is on the rise in London, why isn’t Boris advocating for women?

Events like International Women’s Day serve as a reminder that we must never abandon on our relentless pursuit for equality. We live in a society where on the surface women have achieved a level of equality with men unprecedented in history. For some, it is all too easy to assume the struggle has been won, however, a look at the scale of violence against women in our city draws into sharp focus just how far we still must travel.

Recent figures published by the Met show that over the past 12 months domestic violence has risen by 22%, rape has risen by 25% and other sexual offences, including groping, indecent assault and sexual harassment have risen by 32%. In response to my questions both the Met and the Mayor have said that this rise mainly attributable to ‘increased confidence to report to the police’ on the part of the victims of these crimes. Certainly there is some reason to believe that a part of this rise may indeed to be due to increased confidence particularly in the wake of high profile sexual abuse cases such as Jimmy Saville. However with concerns that a higher number of offences are being committed, a more detailed analysis is urgently required.

In December I asked the Mayor to analyse exactly what is going on with these stark increases in violence against women and girls. Clearly, we should be looking root and branch at the cause of these shocking statistics, rather than assuming ‘increased confidence’ and moving on. Surely we must be looking at what more we could be doing across agencies to prevent and to pursue and prosecute more perpetrators while supporting victims.

The Mayor said he would have a review, it is now March, I haven’t heard back. I do, however welcome the recent pledge of £5 million to tackle Domestic Violence in the capital, which will fund Independent Domestic Violence Advocates in every London Borough. It is something we have been arguing for over the past three years. Especially as it was his 2012 manifesto commitment.

However, domestic violence has risen 30% overall since the Mayor was elected, the resource promised has not risen in line with this and comes as he has one foot out the door. As the Mayor says it will “plug holes” in what we know is an stretched and under-resourced service for some of the most vulnerable women in our capital. It’s also worth comparing the £5million to the £60million of taxpayer money he is spending on the Garden Bridge or the similar amount he spent on the Cable Car; I can’t help but wonder where his priorities really lie.

In November 2014, I raised the fact that there had been a 30% rise in sexual harassment across the Transport Network in London. I have been repeatedly told by TfL that this is down to “increased confidence” on the part of women to report. However In TfL’s own Safety and Security Report shows increasing numbers of  interviewees who say they experienced sexual harassment on the public transport network did not report the incident. I along with my colleagues on the London Assembly are pushing for a proactive zero-tolerance campaign across the transport network highlighting sexual harassment and giving clear instructions on how to report, so far our calls have gone unanswered.

The Mayor is the Chair of TfL and he is capital’s Police and Crime Commissioner. He has unparalleled access to the corridors of power in Whitehall and the largest electoral mandate of any elected politician in Europe. If he so wished he could use this position to advocate for the women of our capital, only 10% of whom, in the Mayor’s most recent London survey said they felt very safe walking in their city at night. Despite the power of his position, this weekend’s was Boris Johnson’s seventh IWD as Mayor. Whilst he will welcome the celebrations, the truth is over that period far too little has changed.

Joanne McCartney AM is Labour’s London Assembly Crime Spokesperson