Stephen's views on domestic violence & the Map of Gaps campaign

It is a matter of grave concern that conviction rates for rape are so low, both within Bristol and across the country as a whole, and do not appear to be improving. It is also clear from various statistics that conviction rates are not consistent across the country, suggesting that national strategies are not being applied evenly.

You may be interested to know that I have previously signed Early Day Motion 765 Campaign for Justice for Victims of Rape, which states:

"That this House notes that the current conviction rate in rape cases is only 5.7 per cent with fewer than 20 per cent. of rapes reported to the police leading to a prosecution; further notes that the vast majority of women in the UK do not have access to a rape crisis centre; recognises that up to half of the remaining centres are at risk of closing due to a lack of funding; commends the Fawcett Society for its new campaign for justice for victims of rape; and calls on the Government to take immediate steps to improve criminal justice practice so that every case is properly investigated and to guarantee stable funding for rape crisis centres to ensure that all women in the UK have access to the support that they need."

I think that it is important, with the levels of reported rape rising in the country, that we have sufficient levels of support for rape victims. It is worrying that only 5% of rape charges lead to conviction. I support the Bristol branch of the Fawcett Society's campaign on this issue and congratulate those who are working on the project; I hope that they are successful with it.

The issue of domestic violence against women is one that has often been raised with me on the doorsteps in Bristol. Recently I discussed the matter with campaigners at a 'reclaim the nights' vigil at College Green. Therefore, I fully support the Map of Gaps campaign which highlights the inadequate provision of specialised services that offer varying support to women who have experienced gender based violence.

Too many vital services - ranging from counselling to emergency accommodation and outreach programmes - are simply not available when and where they are needed. Every woman regardless of where she lives in the UK should feel assured that if they are a victim of this type of violence their local area has the staff and resources to help them and provide the specific support and care that they need.

The national inconsistencies in the provision for local domestic and gender based violence are worrying. Some areas of the UK have a variety of services, but it is of great concern that a quarter of local authorities have none at all. This means a woman's access to crucial support depends on where she lives.

The South West has a female population of 2,641,800 yet there are only 71 services that are tailored to help victims of domestic and gender based violence, and the city of Bristol itself has only six specialist services to provide assistance to women in the local area. I welcomed the opening in February 2009 of a new centre, the 'Bridge', at the Central Health Clinic near Castle Park. The Centre will support victims of rape and is a partnership between the NHS and the Police.

Around 3 million women experience an incident of violence each year. Some reports have suggested that around half of women in England and Wales experience domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking in their lifetime. Only a minority of women report any violence against them, and we need to ensure support is readily accessible if more are to be persuaded to come forward. Specialised services for victims of domestic violence and rape are especially vital for the women who are not willing to report these crimes to the police. They provide a safe space in which women can talk about their experiences of violence without fear of recrimination. They also give these women other avenues with which to rebuild their lives.

My fellow Liberal Democrats and I recognise the importance of this issue, and we are currently revising our domestic violence policy to combat many of the weaknesses in current legislation and Government policy. We understand that there must be a provision of a range of services that takes into account the needs of various different groups including trafficked women, minority women and women with disabilities.

Our policy will also consider the issues raised in the Map of Gaps campaign and will look at Glasgow City Council's provisions to ensure that best practice is spread. The Liberal Democrats recognise that the voluntary sector is also fundamental to providing help in this area and we must ensure that funding is not continually cut from important services such as Rape Crisis.

On 3rd February 2009 I signed Early Day Motion 653, which calls for improved funding for violence against women services, stating:

"That this House welcomes the `Map of Gaps' report and website by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the End Violence Against Women coalition; notes with alarm that three million women across the UK experience violence each year; further notes that over a quarter of local authority areas across Britain have no specialised violence against women support services such as rape crisis centres, refuges, domestic violence outreach projects and services for black and minority ethnic women; recognises the need for local authorities and other public bodies to undertake needs assessments under their gender equality schemes and to ensure both sufficiency and diversity of provision; encourages local strategic partnerships to prioritise tackling violence against women, including within local area agreements; welcomes the Government's commitment to consult on a Violence Against Women strategy; and calls on the Government urgently to establish a funding strategy and work with local strategic partnerships to ensure that women's access to support does not depend on where they live."

In addition and more recently, on 26th February 2009, I signed Early Day Motion 866, entitled 'Violence Against Women', which states:

"That this House is alarmed to note that every year about 3 million women in the United Kingdom experience violence, which alone costs the nation over £40 billion per annum, is aware that the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the End Violence Against Women Campaign, Amnesty International UK and a range of other like-minded organisations have published a new Map of Gaps Report which highlights inadequate services provisions available in certain areas of Britain for women who experience rape, forced marriage, domestic or other violence; and calls upon the Government to take action to fill such gaps to ensure that women who find themselves in violent situations are given the necessary level of support they need".