violence against women – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Gloucester speaks in debate on international development outcomes for women and girls

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in a debate on international development outcomes for women and girls on 9th July 2026, raising the issue of violence against women and girls and the impact of cuts to official development assistance:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Sugg, for bringing this debate. I will focus on violence against women and girls. As we have heard, the fundamental concern here is whether the reduction in UK ODA can be achieved without significant consequences for women and girls. The Government’s own equality impact assessment acknowledges that the reduction in ODA

“will inevitably have negative impacts for many programme beneficiaries”.

I state the obvious here that women and girls constitute at least 50% of the world’s population. When we talk about these issues, I often feel as though we are talking about something that affects a minority group, which would still not be acceptable, but sometimes we need to state the obvious.

Non-Consensual Sexually Explicit Images and Videos (Offences) Bill: Bishop of Leeds supports bill

The Bishop spoke at the second reading of the Non-Consensual Sexually Explicit Images and Videos (Offences) Bill on 13th December 2024, emphasising the need for legislation on this issue:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Owen, on bringing forward this Bill, which seems to me to be very clear. It was good to witness her evident surprise at having to explain it to a bishop, but she need not have worried on that front.

Bishop of Southwark asks about discrimination against women and girls in Bangladesh

On 3rd September 2024, the Bishop of Southwark asked a question on gender based discrimination in Bangladesh, asking that UK aid take into account the voices of Dalit women and girls particularly:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the Minister will be aware that, notwithstanding the change in government in Dhaka and the protections that the laws and constitution of Bangladesh afford all its citizens, Bangladeshi women still face gender-based discrimination, and Dalit women and girls are particularly vulnerable to untouchability practices and violence. Will the Minister assure the House that UK aid in this area will now be shaped by consultations with representatives of Dalit women and girls, who rarely have access to decision-making in the society in which they live?

Bishop of St Albans asks about violence against women

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 2nd September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 23 May (HL4639), when the findings of the feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage will be published.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about issues faced by migrant women disclosing domestic violence to police

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the issue of migrant women disclosing domestic violence to the police being reported to immigration enforcement on 22nd January 2024, during a discussion on the overrepresentation of black, Asian and minority ethnic women in numbers of female domestic homicides:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, after contacting the police to report domestic violence crimes, migrant women in the UK have often been reported to Immigration Enforcement. For this reason, those women often stay silent for longer. What are the Government doing to ensure that black, Asian and minority-ethnic women who are victims of domestic violence can report abuse without fear of detention or deportation?

Online Safety Bill: Bishop of Gloucester stresses importance of tackling violence against women and girls online and offline

On 16th May 2023, the House of Lords debated the Online Safety Bill in committee. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in support of amendments that would target violence against women and girls by requiring OFCOM to issue a code of practice relating to this:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I have added my name to Amendments 97 and 304, and I wholeheartedly agree with all that the noble Baroness, Lady Morgan, said by means of her excellent introduction. I look forward to hearing what the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, has to say as she continues to bring her wisdom to the Bill.

Let me say from the outset, if it has not been said strongly enough already, that violence against women and girls is an abomination. If we allow a culture of intimidation and misogyny to exist online, it will spill over to offline experiences. According to research by Refuge, almost one in five domestic abuse survivors who experienced abuse or harassment from their partner or former partner via social media said they felt afraid of being attacked or being subjected to physical violence as a result. Some 15% felt that their physical safety was more at risk, and 5% felt more at risk of so-called honour-based violence. Shockingly, according to Amnesty International, 41% of women who experienced online abuse or harassment said that these experiences made them feel that their physical safety was threatened.

Bishop of Exeter asks about poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran

The Bishop of Exeter asked about the potential of a fact finding mission to investigate the possible poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls on 9th March 2023, during a debate on reports that toxic chemical agents had been used against the schoolgirls by Iranian authorities:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: My Lords, the production and utilisation of chemical warfare in civil and international conflicts is explicitly prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Iran is a signatory and a participating member. Will His Majesty’s Government commit to using this existing framework to advocate for the creation of a fact-finding mission by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons?

Iran: Demonstrations – Bishop of St Albans tables question for short debate

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question for short debate on 27th October 2022, concerning the recent protests and demonstrations in Iran:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iran concerning the recent demonstrations in that country.

My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity that this short debate affords to highlight the plight of many people in Iran, especially young women, who are fighting for their basic human rights and, as a consequence, suffering horrific violence at the hands of the state.

Within a few metres of this Palace of Westminster, we have seen and heard the many protesters over recent weeks who have been chanting—please excuse my pronunciation — “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî”, a slogan which has been taken up by the protesters. It is Kurdish and it means “Woman, Life, Freedom”. The protesters are demonstrating in solidarity with the women in Iran. I hope that this will give us an opportunity for their voices to be heard in this Chamber today.

Bishop of St Albans asks about crimes of violence by police officers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th October 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to research by Femicide Census which found that 16 former or serving police officers had committed femicide since 2009, what assessment they have made as to whether male former or serving police officers commit violence against women, including femicide, at a higher rate compared to the general adult male population.

Queen’s Speech – Bishop of Gloucester on criminal justice, violence against women and girls, online safety

On 18th May 2021 the Bishop of Gloucester took part in the fourth day of debate in the House of Lords on the Queen’s Speech. She focused on criminal justice, violence against women and girls, and online safety:

My Lords, I too look forward to the maiden speeches of the noble Baroness, Lady Fullbrook and Lady Fleet. In my few minutes, I shall briefly mention women in the criminal justice system, the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill, violence against women and girls and the online safety Bill. I refer to my interests in the register, as Anglican bishop to prisons.

I begin by asking: when will we see a renewed timetable for the 2018 female offender strategy? While I welcome the implementation of some of the deliverables, analysis by the Prison Reform Trust shows that the Government have met less than half the commitments. The concordat published last year does not appear to have been progressed. Then there was that shocking announcement of 500 new prison places for women, totally at odds with the strategy’s direction to reduce the number of women in prison. What evidence is it based on, and why is the designated £150 million not being spent on women’s centres and implementing the concordat?

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