Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced the launch of a new international coalition focused on tackling violence against women and girls.
Countries on five different continents are among the eight founding members of the coalition, with Foreign Office officials working to get more on board.
It is understood the effort is being tied to the UK’s presidency of the G20 next year, when the country will host a major summit of the world’s top economies.
Cooper said the move reflected the state of violence against women and girls (VAWG) as a ‘global emergency, not just a national emergency’.
She said: ‘I visited the Sudanese border in February, and I heard girls speak of rape, abduction and abhorrent sexual violence.
‘I will make sure their voices are heard and fight to end violence for every single one of them – and for the 1 in 3 women globally who will experience sexual or physical abuse in their lifetime.’
The eight ‘founding members’ of the coalition – which has not been given a name – are the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco, Spain, Jamaica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Australia.
Metro has called for greater action to tackle VAWG through our This Is Not Right campaign, which launched in November 2024.
It has placed a spotlight on an issue that affects everyone in the UK, regardless of gender – and held the government to account for its promise to halve these crimes within a decade.
Last week, Jess Phillips resigned as Minister for Violence Against Women and Girls in a letter which accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of not being bold enough in his support for her remit.
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.
You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.
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She was subsequently replaced by Bolsover MP Natalie Fleet, who has raised the issues of rape and sexual assault repeatedly in Parliament.
Announcing the new coalition, Fleet said: ‘To create a world where women and girls feel safe from harm, we must build a united, global front and I’m proud to stand alongside international partners today who committed to doing just that.’
However, women’s charity Care International UK called for the UK and its allies to commit to ‘meaningful investment and partnerships’ with organisations securing rights for women.
The organisation’s Head of Advocacy Dorothy Sang said: ‘Warm words won’t rebuild the capacity needed to deliver the exact changes that world leaders are finally promising.
‘Beyond claiming a feminist foreign policy approach, it remains unclear how far the UK is prepared to boldly defend women’s rights organisations and movements – especially when it is politically difficult to do so.’
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