Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a human rights violation, and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence serves as a reminder of this reality. At a time when far-right influence is being allowed to grow, and when VAWG is increasingly weaponised against migrant and minoritised communities, we at Hibiscus affirm: ending VAWG for all women, without discrimination, is an obligation of the UK government.
Working with women in contact with the criminal justice and immigration systems, we see firsthand that VAWG in the UK continues to be sanctioned by governments who, by ignoring the intersectional nature of this harm, introduce legislation and policies that exacerbate systems of oppression and gender inequality.
In recent months, increasingly hostile proposals for immigration reform have been put forward. For example, the intention to reduce protections for people seeking asylum, as well as to make it more difficult to access settlement in the UK, will have profoundly harmful effects on women experiencing abuse.
In this context, to mark this year’s 16 Days, we met last week with the women who make up the Hibiscus community to embrace the activist spirit of the campaign. Through a feminist placard-making session, we created space to reflect on our calls to the government, while exploring the power of sisterhood and artivism. The session enabled us to discuss the importance of ending the criminalisation of victim-survivors. It highlighted how vital it is that policies to end VAWG do not discriminate against Black and minoritised migrant women.