Dangerous men are falling through the cracks. Women are paying the price | UK News

Every three days, a woman in the UK will be attacked and killed by a man – most likely one that they know.

Let that sink in. 

And many of those dreadful fatalities will go unremarked. They won’t make much in the way of headlines, and will probably be soon forgotten by all, other than the loved ones and families of the victim. 

There is almost invariably a pattern that leads up to the most heinous crimes. So why are the mechanisms not in place to spot the potential perpetrator at the start of their offending journey, rather than at the end when it is too late to save a woman’s life?

The Women and Equalities Select Committee – which I am Chair of – has been taking evidence on that challenge over the last few weeks, listening to those working in the sector.

What was immediately apparent was that, while many involved in the domestic abuse field could instantly spot the red flags – like the lack of access to bank accounts, always being accompanied to appointments, not having your own telephone or email account – there is no fail-safe mechanism that triggers involvement from services that could effectively intervene. 

There is some good work out there though – banks like TSB giving counter staff training to spot signs of coercive control and financial abuse, as well as providing ‘flee funds’ for women needing to escape, and the DWP providing training to Work Coaches at Jobcentres so they are better equipped those help those in need in the form of benefits and housing. 

But I have found that there is no effective link-up between police, Children’s Services, DWP, third sector organisations, the NHS, and probation. Everyone might hold a little bit of data, but sharing it is intensely problematic.

Just the very phrase ‘data sharing’ can set hares running over fears for people’s privacy and human rights. And as a former Immigration Minister and now the Chair of the Equalities Committee I can certainly argue this both ways. 

Our report into so-called honour-based abuse advocated protections for victims from their data being shared with immigration services. 

But the counter to that is that when someone is in the UK with temporary or insecure immigration status, and they are the perpetrator of any sort of offence, we need there to be effective ways for all services to be able to share that information.

We don’t know the ins and outs of Abdul Ezedi’s case at the moment but it feels as if the lack of transparency allowed him to fall through the cracks.

I have witnessed firsthand the barriers in place that prevent us putting an end to violence against women. I have spent months – as a constituency MP – highlighting to the Home Office the case of a man under multiple restraining orders for domestic abuse being able to travel backwards and forwards to this country, apparently unimpeded at the border and working illegally to boot. 

The courts know he is a menace to his former partner, Children’s Services and his child’s local school know he is a threat to the child’s safety, the police in Hampshire are well aware of his repeat harassment and stalking, but it seems impossible to make Border Force act at the Border, to do their job and keep him out.

So when there are calls for a firewall between police and immigration control, I am always a bit hesitant, as a system designed to protect the victim might well be exploited by a perpetrator to prevent them from coming to the attention of immigration enforcement.

Perhaps information sharing could be best done by specialist services and charities. Trust is a huge issue for victims of domestic abuse, and having confidence in the help on offer can make a big difference to the ability to disclose.

What we know is that, in many instances, there is a pyramid of offending. While it is true to say that not every man who controls his partner’s bank account goes on to attack her physically, it is equally true to say every violent man started somewhere.

That means, the gateway crimes need to be dealt with effectively before there is any sort of escalation.

Of course, the knee-jerk solution is to say ‘lock em up’, but prison is not effective as a short sharp shock, and perpetrator programmes – courses for people who want to stop being abusive to their partners – aren’t easy to come by. Largely because the focus is rightly on the victim and not the offender.

It takes real political bravery to invest in tackling perpetrator behaviour, and also to face up to the reality that the Andrew Tates of this world have a pernicious and pervasive influence on a whole new generation of young men.

One of the reasons I focus so heavily in my Committee on the need to make sure RSHE is taught effectively and in a way that is relevant to young people is that it is so clear there are all sorts of malign influences and influencers out there.

Tate may be awaiting trial for alleged rape and people trafficking, but a recent survey revealed roughly one fifth of men aged 16 to 29 who have heard of Andrew Tate say they have a favourable view of him. 

The classroom probably isn’t the perfect place to tackle that sort of cultural influence, but where is? If we cannot rely on male role models to actually be role models, then someone has to step in and step up.

If we don’t start tackling the cultures that underpin misogyny, then we will still be wringing our hands in countless years to come about the sexual assaults, the rapes, the murders and the ladder of violent crime.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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