We know the statistics in the UK are stark on violence against women. One in five women has experienced sexual assault or rape since the age of 16. Approximately 85,000 women are raped and over 400,000 women are sexually assaulted in England and Wales every year. Over 137,000 women in England and Wales are already living with the consequences of FGM. Between 2010 and 2014, police recorded more than 11,000 cases of so-called ‘honour’-based violence cases across the UK, including abductions, beatings and even murders The shock is that these statistics and others often aren’t shocking, but expected. https://icchange.co.uk/statistics-on-violence-against-women-and-girls-in-the-uk/

In those numbers are the individual stories. Women and girls who have had to live with the consequences of someone else’s actions.

When we were starting the campaign we were asked: “What do you see in the Istanbul Convention (IC)?” And the simplest reply was (and still is) - “I see change”.

This change is substantial. It is the first time in the UK that violence against women will be seen as a whole in law. The Istanbul Convention provides a clear framework for change across multiple issues; from FGM to rape, forced marriage to psychological violence, stalking to consent. However, it is not simply amending one issue. Rather, the Istanbul Convention recognises violence against women as more than individual issues, but instead a wider epidemic of violence and ensures a co-ordinated response.

This change is along a pathway. The Istanbul Convention starts with the prevention of violence, moving onto protecting women and girls who are experiencing violence, through to prosecution of violence. It also ensures that vital data on violence against women is collected and responded to.

This change is practical. Some of the practical responses that the Istanbul Convention ensures are an adequate number of refuges (including specialist services), sufficient provision of rape crisis or sexual violence referral centres, psychological support for victims of violence, free 24/7 helplines for all forms of violence and education in schools on topics such as violence against women and girls, equality between men and women, the right to personal integrity, and healthy relationships.

This change is happening. Some changes have already happened, with the UK Government criminalising FGM, forced marriage and psychological abuse in order to comply with the Istanbul Convention.

This change is needed. However, some change is not enough. We need ALL of the changes set out in the Istanbul Convention to tackle violence against women in the UK. We need the full infrastructure - for services to be there when survivors need them - to allow women to thrive, rather than fight to survive.