2 Integrated policies
Comprehensive and co-ordinated
policies (Article 7)
14. Article 7 of the Istanbul Convention requires
the UK to have co-ordinated policies. This requirement crosses
Governmental departments, agencies and bodies.
Article 7—Comprehensive and co-ordinated policies
1 Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures to adopt and implement State-wide effective, comprehensive and co-ordinated policies encompassing all relevant measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention and offer a holistic response to violence against women.
2 Parties shall ensure that policies referred to in paragraph 1 place the rights of the victim at the centre of all measures and are implemented by way of effective co-operation among all relevant agencies, institutions and organisations.
3 Measures taken pursuant to this article shall involve, where appropriate, all relevant actors, such as government agencies, the national, regional and local parliaments and authorities, national human rights institutions and civil society organisations.
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HOW WELL IS THE UK FULFILLING THE POSITIVE OBLIGATIONS
UNDER THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION?
15. The Government acknowledges the need for comprehensive and
co-ordinated policies. To this end, the Government has a cross-departmental
Action Plan, A Call to End Violence against Women and Girls,
published by the Home Office. The Action Plan says that there
is: "Commitment right across Government with activity co-ordinated
across Departments overseen by an Inter-Ministerial Group chaired
by the Home Secretary".[19]
We understand that the Inter-Ministerial Group meets quarterly.[20]
16. Some witnesses called for an independent, national
co-ordinating body for the purpose of transparency, greater data
collection and holding departments to account.[21]
We note this argument but it was more within the parameters of
this inquiry to focus on what the Government is doing regarding
the co-ordination and delivery of its policy.
17. Witnesses argued that there was a lack of accountability
if departments did not deliver against the Action Plan.[22]
The End Violence against Women Coalition said: "The Department
for Education, key to taking forward prevention measures, has
yet to deliver on its role in a comprehensive prevention strategy".[23]
18. Witnesses also criticised the Government for
the separate development of policy for violence against women
and girls and policy for immigration. Natasha Walter, Director
of Women for Refugee Women, said:
from the outside, we do not see evidence of joined-up
thinking. For instance, the Home Office has the initiative to
tackle FGM in the UK, but we do not see anything coming out of
the Home Office about how that might affect women seeking asylum
from the threat of FGM for their daughters […] there are
such good initiatives going on, and yet they are not being carried
through into the asylum process.[24]
19. Witnesses criticised the Inter-Ministerial Group
for not taking an holistic approach towards ending violence against
women and girls due to a lack of representation from immigration
officials. Anna Musgrave, Women's Advocacy and Influencing Officer
from Refugee Council, said: "representation from UK Visas
and Immigration has been, in the main, very poor. I sit on the
groups and I very rarely see anybody in those meetings who I recognise."[25]Asylum
Aid recommended that the Home Secretary should ensure that there
is regular representation from the Immigration Minister and UKVI
at the appropriate level at all meetings discussing violence against
women and girls.[26]
20. Chris Green, Director of White Ribbon Campaign,
said: "the inter-ministerial group is good but does not go
far enough. We are a grassroots organisation on the ground, and
we do not see that group making any significant difference to
our work."[27]
21. Witnesses were also concerned that the Inter-Ministerial
Group and Action Plan only addressed England and Wales, despite
the Istanbul Convention requiring a UK-wide response.[28]
22. The Home Secretary is responsible within Government
for the Action Plan to end violence against women and girls and
the civil servants who co-ordinate Government action to deliver
the plan are based in the Home Office. We would have liked to
have taken oral evidence from the Home Secretary but it was the
Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP, the Minister for Women and Equalities,
who came to give evidence. The Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP has other
responsibilities across Government as Secretary of State for Education
and Minister for Equalities but is not one of the co-signatories
of the Action Plan: the former Minister for Crime Prevention (Norman
Baker MP) is. The position of Minister for Women has moved between
four departments in the course of this Parliament.[29]
23. We put to the Minister for Women whether it would
improve the co-ordination of policy on violence against women
and girls if there were a standalone post of Minister for Women.
She said: "My worry, if you had one Minister with responsibility
for it, would be that they would not have the clout in different
Departments to quiz the civil servants, hold them to account and
get things done in the way that we do".[30]
In short, she believed that it did not matter in which department
the role of Minister for Women sat but that the individual in
that role held others to account and could ensure change on these
issues. She believed that, as a cabinet level minister, she could
do this and it was something that a specifically created violence
against women and girls junior ministerial post would not be able
to do.
24. It is clear that there are different arguments
regarding the allocation of the post of Minister for Women and
how best to integrate policy on violence against women and girls.
25. We commend the Government for having a violence
against women and girls action strategy which appropriately links
violence to gender and inequalities. We commend the Home Secretary's
personal enthusiasm for it. However, we share witnesses' concerns
about the effectiveness with which the Inter-Ministerial Group
co-ordinates and secures actions across Government.
26. We commend the Prime Minister for retaining
the position of Minister for Women at cabinet level albeit combined
with a broader portfolio. We believe the position of Minister
for Women requires such seniority. Whilst we are reassured by
the efforts of the Home Secretary in this policy area, we remain
confused as to which Minister has overall responsibility to address
the perceived shortcomings in the Action Plan and Inter-Ministerial
Group. Whilst the Home Secretary is an authoritative figure within
Government, we recommend that the role of Minister for Women be
more focused on the Government's strategy by becoming a joint
signatory of the Action Plan and that the Minister explicitly
be given responsibility for co-ordinating work across Government
in this area together with the Home Secretary.
27. We recommend that the work of the Inter-Ministerial
Group be broadened to include questions of asylum and immigration
rules and practice as well as the compliance of devolved policy
with the Istanbul Convention.
28. We recommend that the Minister for Women holds
departments to account for delivering against the Action Plan
within Cabinet meetings, supported by the Prime Minister, to display
clearer leadership around this issue. This would send a strong
message to all Cabinet attendees and departments regarding the
Government's commitment to delivering the plan.
19 A Call to End Violence against Women and Girls,
Action Plan 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287758/VAWG_Action_Plan.pdf
[accessed 24 December 2014] Back
20
HC Deb, 15 April 2013, col 54W [Commons written answer] Back
21
Written evidence from EHRC (VAW0057) and Eaves for Women (VAW0008) Back
22
See, for example, written evidence from Women's Aid (VAW0018) Back
23
Written evidence from End Violence Against Women Coalition (VAW0053) Back
24
Q 86 Back
25
Ibid. Back
26
Written evidence from Asylum Aid (VAW0009) Back
27
Q 55 Back
28
Q 30 Back
29
The Minister responsible for women was located in the Home Office,
the Department for culture media and sport and the Treasury between
2010-2014. The Minister responsible currently is in the Department
for Education. Back
30
Q 137 Back
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