Violence against women and girls 'endemic'

Violence against women and girls is an "endemic" problem in the capital, the London Assembly has heard.

"It's a really serious issue," Janaya Walker, head of public affairs at the End Violence Against Women coalition told the Assembly.

On Tuesday the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee announced that it would begin an investigation into violence against women and girls (VAWG).

It will focus on the impact of such violence on young people in London.

The Youth Endowment Fund previously stated that 16-19 years old was the most common age for perpetration of rape and serious sexual offences.

Ellie Softley, head of education at charity Everyone's Invited, told the Assembly that "something is going fundamentally wrong" within safeguarding approaches at schools.

"Rape culture is thriving in our society, but it really takes root in schools," she said.

"For a lot of young people, safeguarding is not fit for purpose.

"Loads of young people that we speak to say that the actual process of reporting and going to a safeguarding leader at school is more traumatising than the actual assault that happened to them."

Prof Jessica Ringrose, from the Faculty of Education and Society at University College London, called for "high-quality" relationship and sex education classes in school.

"It's often the most poorly resourced subject area," she said.

Ms Walker called for a strategic needs assessment across London that covers all violence against women and girls.

"We know that the experience of sexual harassment tends to be experienced more disproportionately by younger age groups," she said.

"It feels as though lots of services are really struggling and young women and girls are struggling in terms of getting access to support. It is bleak in many ways.

"In terms of the picture of VAWG in London, it remains the case that it is endemic."

She added: "It's quite difficult to conclude whether things are getting better or things are getting worse because the data is quite poor."

The mayor of London's draft Police and Crime Plan 2025-29 aims to bring more perpetrators of VAWG to justice and increase preventative efforts to tackle misogyny.

A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq Khan said: "The mayor is clear that there is a national epidemic of violence against women and girls and it must be treated with the utmost urgency both by our police and society as a whole.

"Sadiq is leading from the front in London by championing a public health approach to tackling violence against women and girls.

"However, there is clearly more work still to do which is why the mayor will be publishing a refreshed VAWG strategy later this year to build on the progress that has been achieved."

They added that the mayor supported the Met's plan to rebuild the trust of women and girls.

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