Male Violence Against Women

As of 26th November 2021, at least 129 women in the UK have died as a result of male violence this year. As usual this statistic cuts across the socio-economic divide. 

Meanwhile, on the 25th November Conservative MP Nick Fletcher claimed that Dr Who being a woman had pushed young men into crime. At a time when the ruling party, the Conservatives, need to put strategic support in place for mental health and address the issue of male suicide, as well as creating a society that views women as equals. It chooses to blame, not their lack of funding for programmes that might tackle the issue of male crime, no instead it blames women for having the audacity to have a positive female, science based, role model in the shape of a fictional character, Dr Who. 

It is perhaps just another example of ‘whataboutery’ but it is also perhaps more dangerous. These comments come from within the ruling party of the UK and are perhaps indicative of the stance taken and preferred direction it wishes to take. 

This view insinuates that women are to blame for male crime, not poverty or lack of opportunity, or poor mental health services. No, women are to blame. As male violence against women is a crime, essentially this view is insinuating that women are to blame for the male violence against them. 

Let’s let that view sink in. 

At a time when women are calling for a safer society, the ruling party, instead of putting interventions in place, are actually blaming women for the atrocities against them at the hands of men. 

The whole ‘female Dr Who’ speech by MP Nick Fletcher may have been an attempt to distract from other issues the government are struggling to deal with, but it has serious implications as indicated by the subsequent debates in the media and on social media. People took this matter seriously and equality for women in the UK takes a little step back. 

This time the message being that women should not demand positive, science based, role models because it upsets men and makes them commit crimes. 

Will the current UK government ever take responsibility, stop deflecting, stop creating a culture war and actually lead the country to be a safer place for everyone? I seriously doubt it.