Life & Society

An undeclared war on women

Published 24 March 2008

Alarming levels of violence against women continue to undermine real progress towards gender equality

Our world has changed beyond recognition in the last fifty years. Now, we would raise a smile at the line “Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house.. ” from a recently republished 1950s Good Wife Guide. So what would a baby girl born today expect from her life? She may buy a house securing a mortgage without a male guarantor, almost certainly return to work after starting a family. She would expect equal treatment in her job and more broadly in her life.

However before we congratulate ourselves on the new freedoms for women in modern Britain there is a darker side to this debate. Statistics on the number of women experiencing violence paint an altogether more frightening picture. Each year some three million women will experience violence in one form or another: rape, or the threat of it; assault; intimidation through stalking; sexual abuse, either by a member of their own family or someone they know; genital mutilation and forced marriage.

While we have seen some significant changes to society’s view of women it seems some attitudes are taking longer to change. There is evidence of an undeclared war against some women. A previous survey by the End Violence against Women coalition showed that 42 percent of young people know girls whose boyfriends have hit them. A remarkable 40 percent knew girls who had been pressurised into sex; yet 27 percent thought it was acceptable for a boy to "expect to have sex with a girl if the girl had been "very flirtatious".

Clearly, we need to do more about the attitude to girls shown by many boys. We need to boost the self-esteem of girls in the way being promoted by organisations such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. We need to avoid any public attitudes that suggest that some kinds of assault or rape are somehow more forgivable than others. Rape is rape; violence is violence and no means no. The law must reflect that and be fully enforced.

Sadly these attitudes are only part of the problem. A survey, Map of Gaps, published in November by the Commission in partnership with the End Violence against Women coalition exposed a worrying lack of services. In fact most women in the UK have no access to a Rape Crisis Centre and less than one quarter of local authorities have any sexual violence services at all. The services that do exist at all are buckling under the pressure with help lines engaged and refuges full. In short, what we have is a postcode lottery. But the thing about lotteries is that most people lose. This is why the Commission is calling on the Government and local authorities to take more action and consider more funding for specialised support services.

So while in 2008 no one would believe a wife has “no right to question” and women’s employment rights are seen as essential, we mustn’t forget that women also have a basic right to seek support and protection from violence. It is here that the Commission has a role to play, as the regulator of public bodies in respect of their equality duties.

That is why I am putting every public authority, that is, local councils, police authorities and others - on notice. In nine months' time we will be asking public authorities where they stand. If they don't measure up, they can expect to be named publicly. If they don't act, they will see us at their doors with compliance notices. Our world may have changed beyond recognition but there are still many important battles to be fought. And won.

Trevor Phillips is chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

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14 comments from readers

knave
24 March 2008 at 21:05

Good article but I feel that women have always been physically attacked even in the golden ages of the 1950's.

Thankfully women, especially working class women, feel more empowered to face and report abuse than they did in the past.

There is also the abuse that dare not speak it's name. The abuse on males by some females.

HECUBA
25 March 2008 at 10:31

Yes indeed men's violence against women is global and has existed for centuries but this does not mean we should accept the situation. As regards the fact some women do commit abuse against women, research shows it is overwhelmingly male sexual and physical violence against women which is far more widespread and endemic.

The constant claims that men experience the same level of violence from women is a tactic designed to deflect attention away from the realities of male violence against women.

barry gaynor
25 March 2008 at 15:27

Trevor Phillips seems intent on spreading gender racism, forwarding such a skewed vision of domestic violence it is embarrassing he shows such ignorance on the subject. The unfortunate issue is that he forwards himself as an expert but seems to have no understanding of the subject.

John Kimble
25 March 2008 at 22:25

Why is it acceptable to constantly highlight female victims of violence yet completely ignore men? Such lazy and sensationalist journalism focusing on female victims yet again makes it even harder for male victims to come forward because they fell as if they won't be believed. Additionally pretending females are always the victims makes it easier for female aggressors to make false claims as they have the absolute confidence that any false allegations they make will be totally believed and not scrutinised int he slightest.

Mr Philips is therefore part of a vicious circle where people ignore male victims and exagerate the problem of female abuse, which in turn distorts statistics on ths issue and causes resources and help to be denied to men who are in fact those who need it most. This makes them even more reluctant to come forward (and society as a whole less liekly to believe them), further distorts official statistics and so the cycle continues.

Domestic violence and abuse is a complicated issue and is reciprocal in a great many cases.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS NOT A GENDER ISSUE.

PlanetStarbucks
26 March 2008 at 15:29

A relative of mine was subject to domestic violence during my childhood so I know all about violence to women. However the way the general consensus is skewed towards women is abhorrent and is tantamount to institutional misandry.

As a male if I am physically attacked, by anyone, the police do not want to know and society’s general view is that I had some guilty part to play in “what I got”. This view was especially prevalent in the working class area where I grew up. I read an article in The Guardian recently speaking about how no woman should have to suffer the indignity of prison, the logical conclusion being that men are not worthy of such a consideration.

You can also argue that this push for gender equality shows just how weak policy makers believe women to be. Not only do laws guarantee that women have equal opportunities they are given more opportunities than men in terms of health care, education and up until recently pensions. Until we wake up from this modernist nightmare of creating equality by demeaning men we will never reach this laudable goal.

HECUBA
26 March 2008 at 18:54

Totally wrong - domestic violence or to give its true term it is intimate male violence against the female partner.

Claiming women should not have to 'suffer the indignity of prison' is a deliberate attempt to deflect attention away from the real issues of imprisoned women. Most female prisoners have committed non-violent crimes and also their crimes are not as serious as men's but still women are being imprisoned for shop lifting.

Women are still marginalised and have yet to achieve recognition and status of being fully human. That is stil reserved for men as a group.

Research has consistently shown for many years now that women do not inflict violence against men in equal numbers as male on female violence. What is true is the fact male on male violence is common. The numbers of women being raped by men are over 45,000 each year and this is only the numbers of women who report a man/men has raped them.

Statistics are readily available on the Ministry for Justice website concerning the facts of male sexual and physical violence against women.

PlanetStarbucks
27 March 2008 at 07:45

"Totally wrong - domestic violence or to give its true term it is intimate male violence against the female partner.”

No, domestic violence is domestic violence, i.e. violence that takes place in the home. It is gender neutral by definition.

"Most female prisoners have committed non-violent crimes and also their crimes are not as serious as men's but still women are being imprisoned for shop lifting.”

Men are being imprisoned for non-violent crime and shoplifting. As for their crimes not being as serious as men's, would that imply that Rose West's acts were lesser because she is a woman?

"Women are still marginalised and have yet to achieve recognition and status of being fully human. That is still reserved for men as a group. "

A typical loaded comment which lacks any evidence and bearing on reality.

"The numbers of women being raped by men are over 45,000 each year and this is only the numbers of women who report man/men have raped them.”

So in your view when a crime is reported then it has taken place? You suggest by this sentence that no woman has ever "cried rape", a dangerous precedent. This one-sided view of the issue is as abhorrent as those who contend that women who are raped whilst drunk "got what they deserved".

Domestic violence is sickening and as I said in my last post I have seen a female family member subject to it so I unfortunately know too well the reality of it. However radicalising domestic violence to a woman-only issue is misandry, pure and simple. It also casts all women in the role of potential victim, surely defeating the notion of equality in the first place.

Charlie
27 March 2008 at 10:40

"So in your view when a crime is reported then it has taken place? You suggest by this sentence that no woman has ever "cried rape", a dangerous precedent. This one-sided view of the issue is as abhorrent as those who contend that women who are raped whilst drunk "got what they deserved". "

This notion that women "cry rape" is ridiculous. With conviction rates being so low for those rapes that are reported, a woman who has experienced the indignity and humiliation of rape, then goes through the indignity and humiliation of re-visiting it in a trial, followed by the indignity and humiliation of a not-guilty verdict, then has to finally go through the indignity and humiliation that people like you think that she has "cried rape".

This myth has to stop.

LilyD
27 March 2008 at 11:08

In response to John Kimble - Domestic Violence IS a gender issue. The majority of victims ARE female. This article is about violence agains women so why not concentrate on women?

The UN has recently described violence against women as a scourge of our times and is committed to trying to end it. I accept that men can be crippled by concepts of masculinity the same way women can be by notions of femininity. This is what may stop male victims of domestic violence calling the police.

However, so long as 2 women a week in the UK are killed by their partners, I have to see this as a gender issue.

Grahame Priest
30 March 2008 at 10:04

I don't believe you do anything other than choose your words well. The title of the article, “An Undeclared War on Women” speaks volumes, inevitably giving the impression that if there's a war on women, it must be men who are waging this war. If an undereducated rabid feminist were to make such an assertion, or even imply it, one could simply laugh it off as ignorant. That the leader of one of our main agencies charged with eliminating discrimination actually does so, is deeply unsettling for its measured insult to men as well as its breathtaking inaccuracy.

If we only have a 5% conviction rate for rape offences, then you should look at how the legislation is framed and what you're trying to achieve with it. If juries are reluctant to commit, it might well be down to the legislative goals rather than some widespread misogyny afflicting our nation. A clue to the problem might be found in your statement on how these offences should be perceived. You say “We need to avoid any public attitudes that suggest that some kinds of assault or rape are somehow more forgivable [sic] than others.” Trying to lead public opinion is all very well and good, but you should also recognise the necessity of accurately reflecting it in law as well, lest you continue to let women victims down. In short, don't blame some implied misogynistic trait in society for poorly drafted laws that don't allow juries the opportunity to return appropriate verdicts.

However, I would like to take the opportunity to highlight an issue only touched on in your article, the scandal of which you'll be familiar with. In our broader society there are many thousands of young girls who, each year, are genitally mutilated for 'cultural' reasons. There are many thousands of young women forced into marriage (and every forced marriage is a multiple rape) and many children taken as 'brides', paedophilia again dressed up as some sort of 'cultural' practise. The record of this administration in all these areas of gross abuse is absolutely scandalous for its neglect. These people reflect some of the most vulnerable members of our society and yet, not one person has been prosecuted for female genital mutilation (FGM) in our supposedly liberated country. We allow child brides to be brought into the UK with barely a question, and forced marriages have been accepted as a cultural tradition that should be tolerated – or at least have a blind eye turned to them. Not one prosecution. Yet I invite you to consider something. If a white Anglo-Saxon family forced their child to marry a stranger against her will, if a white Anglo-Saxon male married a twelve year old, or if a white Anglo-Saxon family arranged to have their child's genitals mutilated, the outcry would be enormous. Their feet wouldn't touch the ground. So why is it that we permit such intolerable and barbaric practises to happen within some of our ethnic communities without sanction?

As the former leader of the CRE, you should recognise that the suffering and abuse of some of the most vulnerable in our society, the very people who need and deserve society's protection, has occurred in the name of multi-cultural acceptance. The day when you, and others in this administration, take a moral stand on these issues, declare enough is enough, and actually do something rather than send messages, will be the day this administration ceases to be morally bankrupt, neglectful, and can claim to be truly concerned for the rights of females. In the meantime, please recognise that the only undeclared war I perceive is the one you should have declared years ago and still be fighting today.

HatTrick
06 April 2008 at 11:52

John Kimble has a point that violence against men should also be highlighted. Violence against women is however for the time being, is a more worrying and serious issue. Not only is it much more common but it is worryingly normal and acceptable view that women are 'asking for it' particularly in cases of rape.

humanbeing
13 April 2008 at 21:42

There is no reason why men should not raise the issue of violence against themselves (usually perptrated by other men) but why oh why do they have to be so selfish as to attention seek in this way and thereby obfuscate the issues of the reality and existence of violence against woman. I cannot see why men here want to do that other than demonstrate their non-support for fellow human beings who happen to be woman or want to have us all believe that somehow the War against woman does not exist......

humanbeing
13 April 2008 at 21:45

The men who have posted here are truly outstanding in their ability to obfuscate the issues and turn 'our' issues of global sexual and pysical violence into an issue about themselves.....how you all revert to type when what is needed if for you to see the reality of womans situation rather than drawing attention to your own issues. Why don't you start your own campaign instead of hijacking this one.....

Grahame Priest
14 April 2008 at 11:52

Men don't have 'Men's Studies Departments' in universities. We don't have our own dedicated government minister. There is no 'masculin-ism' movement to counter the sexually identified politics of feminism. Males don't look back on gender equality issues and think of them as 'battles' in a 'war' where males are the winners or losers. Men don't seek the mantle of 'victim' status in areas where gender inequality works against them. Men don't mount campaigns for special status gender specific health services even though we have gender specific health issues and live shorter lives. In short, men don't tend to see gender issues in political terms. Most men anyway, IMO.

I don't know any males, or have even heard of any males who think women are inferior, want women to be inferior, believe in sexual discrimination in any form, condone violence against women as some sort of social right – or think of women as anything other than of equal status in society. I have no doubt that there is more violence against women by their partners than against men, and far too much violence against women anyway. But we live in a society that doesn't condone violence in the first place and especially violence against women. Suggesting we need to re-educate males who must, perforce, be at war with females, is to play to a gallery of strident feminism who'll be all too ready to lap it up.

And yet, as many here have pointed out, the truth is that while there's a clear gender orientation in the demographics of domestic and sexual violence – it most certainly isn't a gender specific issue. Those who would portray it that way scare me, because it begs the question “why?”. I can't think of one sensible civilised idea why anyone would want to play gender politics with this. It's not only insulting, it's deliberately divisive. I can understand at one level those who'd say “keep off my turf” and who want to perceive this in terms of a specific campaign. It's legitimate to see it that way, or to want to divide out one particular aspect of the growing violence in our society for special attention. But which is more helpful? To embrace the views who see the issue as a non-feminist one, or to seek to drown out the voices of those who would make perfectly valid points simply because they're male.

Violence is violence, no matter what shape your genitalia. Trevor Phillips is wrong to portray this as a war against women instead of as a social disease where women are the main, but not the only victims. And if he's wrong to portray the issue as some sort of gender war, he's even more wrong to have ignored in his treatise the suffering of so many females, who just because of their cultural inheritance, have to endure appalling abuse. We've done precious little in our society to tackle this, partly because they're hard issues to confront, but partly because of a shameful moral relativism which consigns some women to be victims by virtue of the parent's culture. People who live in these islands aren't somehow less worthy of society's help and legal protection just because they have a different ethnic background, or have different shaped genitalia. Equality means what it says – and Trevor Phillips is the very last person we should need to say that to!

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