Council unveils charter to tackle gender based violence

Tower Hamlets Council have pledged to tackle all gender based violence in a new charter.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, mayor John Biggs signed the council’s new violence against women and girls (VAWG) charter, which promises to reverse gender stereotypes and lobby the government to make misogny a hate crime.

It was also signed by councillor Asma Begum, the cabinet member for community safety.

According to the charter, 70 per cent of victims of interpersonal violence in the borough are female, and a third of women will experience gender violence in their lives.

Using feedback from residents, the charter sets out areas where the council will tackle gender violence, including training professionals to recognise the signs, and giving women the knowledge to challenge discriminatory attitudes against gender.

The charter will become part of the council’s VAWG action plan, which was set up in January 2013 and renewed in 2016. Running until 2019, the strategy outlines the ways the council plans to tackle and increase awareness of gender violence against men and women.