The Women’s Commission of the Young Communist League of Britain notes Labour’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade, the strategy for which will be released this coming September. The government cannot allow the plague of VAWG on society to persist and stark action must be taken to deliver this stepping stone towards a safe society for women.
We unequivocally call for this target to include women seeking asylum. It has been found more than 85% of female asylum seekers have been raped or tortured. We must not allow some of the most vulnerable women to be overlooked.
The Women’s Commission of the YCL also notes the reoccurring racist and baseless scapegoating of asylum-seeking men as the sole perpetrators of VAWG. The selective demonisation negates the vast majority of instances of VAWG that occur in Britain. Any charlatan peddling racist rhetoric in the name of women and girls’ safety is no feminist and their hypocrisy and disingenuous allyship must be confronted. All perpetrators of VAWG, irrespective of background, must face consequences.
The police have proven themselves to be ill equipped and a contributing force to VAWG. The Police Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Legitimacy inspectorate report of the Met Police Force published last year found
‘the force isn’t safely managing risks posed by registered sex offenders in the community’. The same can be said for threats from within the force, the Casey Review of 2023 finding misogyny rife amongst officers. Studies have found that in 64% of cases of femicide, abuse was previously reported to the police. Domestic abuse specialists must be funded and trained to respond to reports of VAWG.
Funding for women’s services is often overlooked: in 2021, the government awarded £4.1bn worth of grants to charities in the UK, but charities with a focus on women and girls received just 1.8% of these.
Online misogyny and the hate-mongers who proliferate these dangerous views prey upon young minds and we demand these views be confronted and tackled in our schools with comprehensive teaching.
Analysis by the National Police Chiefs’ Council last year estimated that 2 million women were victims of male violence every year, describing the situation a “national emergency”. However, VAWG accounting for 20% of all police reported crime is but a part of the story, with it being a severely underreported crime. Women are being failed, it is a national disgrace and all corners of society must come together to address it.
The government is not going to tackle VAWG seriously regardless of the legislation or strategies it introduces because the super-exploitation of women is a source of profit for the ruling capitalist class. Only the overthrow of capitalism and the ushering in of socialism will seriously address VAWG.
YCL Women’s Commission
Young Communist League
17 August 2025
London, Britain
