SafeLives response to appointment of Independent Government Adviser on VAWG

We welcome the appointment of Nimco Ali and the Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls. Crimes of sexual violence, so called ‘honour-based’ abuse and stalking are all too often the experience of domestic abuse victims and survivors and can’t be looked at in isolation, so we hope she will be working closely with Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs. We know many women will want to add their voices to the upcoming consultation, because we hear from them every day about the lasting impact such crimes have on the whole family. Together we can highlight the importance of changing the conversation to ask ‘why doesn’t he stop?’, not ‘why doesn’t she leave?’, and make sure all adult and child victims of domestic abuse get the support they need to rebuild their lives.