- Reports of violence against women and girls[1] in the capital are rising.
- From July 2015-June 2016 there were over 150,000 domestic abuse incidents, over 16,000 sexual offences; and more than 5,000 incidents of rape in London[2].
- Recorded incidents of rape increased by almost 11 per cent (587 more incidents than the previous year); the total number of sexual offences by 9 per cent (1,401 more incidents) and notifiable domestic abuse offences[3] by 8.5 per cent (5,846 more incidents)[2].
- Despite increasing reports of domestic abuse, the number of individuals being charged or receiving another sanction has fallen in London[2].
In his manifesto, the Mayor of London committed to tackling violence against women and girls and the Crown Prosecution Service has recently published its Annual Report on violence against women and girls.
The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee will tomorrow explore the nature and extent of violence against women and girls, the ways in which agencies are working to prevent it, and what the Mayor can do to improve support for victims.
The Committee will hear from the following guests:
- Sarah Greene, Co-director, End Violence Against Women (EVAW) Coalition
- Marai Larasi, Executive Director, Imkaan
- Yvonne Traynor, Chief Executive, Rape Crisis South London
The meeting will take place on Thursday 8 September from 10:00am in the Chamber at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1).
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed via webcast.
Follow us @LondonAssembly and take part in the meeting discussion using #AssemblyPolice and #VAWG.
Notes to editors
- Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an umbrella term for a range of crimes. It includes: domestic violence; rape; sexual offences; stalking; human trafficking for sexual exploitation and prostitution. It also includes harmful practices, such as forced marriage, so called ‘honour’ crimes and female genital mutilation (FGM).
- MOPAC domestic and sexual violence dashboard.
- Notifiable offences or Total Notifiable Offences (TNO) is a count of all offences which are statutorily notifiable to the Home Office – Crime Figures Glossary, Metropolitan Police.
- Full agenda papers.
- Steve O’Connell AM, Chairman of the Police and Crime Committee is available for interview. See contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Lisa Lam on 020 7983 4067. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.