A lack of educational policies has further created a hole in protecting rape victims as violence "still goes unchecked," according to the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) coalition. The association also stresses that services for abuse victims are on the brink of closure.
Liz Kelly, co-chair of EVAW, said, "Education policies are failing to protect girls from abuse now, and are not working towards the prevention of future abuse."
England's Children's Commissioner claimed last week that at least 225,000 children a year have become victims of sexual violence but only one-in-eight children reported the crimes to the police. The statistics have prompted campaigners to claim that British authorities have simply been turning a blind eye and have waited for sexual abuse to be disclosed by the children themselves.
Labour MEPs want an end to violence against women. Renewed UK and EU efforts are essential https://t.co/99DHbAZj4W pic.twitter.com/DJ0KCyxoRy
— EuroLabour (@EuroLabour) November 25, 2015
Despite recent attempts by the Crown Prosecution Service to achieve justice and recognize the rights of rape victims, the report outlines the unfair division between domestic violence services and rape crisis centers as they are not equal in terms of funding.
There is still a room for improvement in the protection of the rights of women and girls, activists say, as more than a hundred English and Welsh women are still killed by a partner or former partner annually. Last week, the case of Tomasz Kocik who was imprisoned for 18 years after the court accused him of his girlfriend's murder, is further confirmation such domestic violence is on a dramatic rise in the UK.
Labour MEP for the North West of England Theresa Griffin echoed the horrible figures saying on Twitter that two women in the United Kingdom are killed by a partner or ex-partner every week.
In the UK, two women a week are killed by a partner or former partner. We must do more to end #violenceagainstwomen pic.twitter.com/apKubAuSwB
— Theresa Griffin MEP (@TheresaMEP) November 24, 2015
Marai Larasi, the chair of the EVAW and executive director of the black feminist organization Imkaan, added: "If, as a society, we really cared about the survivors of abuse, we would ensure there were enough support services in our communities that they could seek support at any time. This is not happening and these services are now precarious."
According to the 2013/14 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), 8.5 percent of women reported having experienced some type of domestic abuse in the last year, compared to 4.5 percent of men.
In general, 28.3 percent of women have suffered some kind of domestic violence since the age of 16, constituting apotential 4.6 million female victims in the UK, the Office for National Statistics quoted the CSEW as saying.
With projection of orange light& #vaw messages, @coe calls for an end 2 violence agnst women #orangetheworld #16days pic.twitter.com/maEUKzgK4x
— Say NO — UNiTE (@SayNO_UNiTE) November 28, 2015
Saturday marks the third day out of 16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence which promoted the idea of ending violence against women and girls worldwide.
What is sexual violence? Learn more from SayNO — UNiTE to End Violence Against Women for #16days of Activism against Gender Based Violence: http://ow.ly/UqybP #orangetheworld
Posted by UN Women on Saturday, November 28, 2015
