Respect would like to share our heartfelt thanks to both Jess Phillips MP and Alex Davies-Jones MP, following resignations from their respective ministerial roles this week. Their combined determination and commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) has helped to shift the dial on the government response, including the vital need to include a focus on perpetrators, as well as survivors and victims.
Jess Phillips brought her passion and experience from working in the sector into the role and is a true ally. She was one of the key architects of the government’s recent VAWG strategy, including a pillar on the relentless pursuit of perpetrators and a focus on prevention of violence and abuse.
Alex Davies-Jones was the second Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse, for which Respect provides the Secretariat. We’re grateful to have worked closely with Alex during this time, supporting our influencing of the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, published under the previous government. We wish them both well for the future.
We would also like to welcome Natalie Fleet MP and Catherine Atkinson MP to the roles of Safeguarding Minister and Victims Minister. We look forward to working with the new ministers to build on these achievements, and to drive continued progress towards an effective state response to VAWG that tackles domestic abuse at its root cause.
