Yahoo News 'No woman or girl should feel at risk because they’re women and girls'
Some of Liverpool’s female politicians have revealed how they face “relentless attacks” online and one said she dislikes showering or hoovering while home alone for fear of not being able to hear a potential attacker breaking in. As the new government commits to halving violence against women and girls nationally in the next decade, female members of Liverpool Council have bravely spoken of the challenges they face on a daily basis.
Studies by Merseyside Police and the PCC’s office found 71% of women live in fear of sexual assault but only 40% have the confidence to report it. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said last week how the Home Office would seek to embed domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms as a new measure to keep women and girls safe.
Addressing Liverpool Council, Emily Spurrell, Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner backed the proactive move by the government. She said: “This is something I’ve been campaigning for a number of years and while I think progress has been made, we clearly still have so much more to do.”
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Mrs Spurrell said it is “unacceptable women and girls in our city feel unsafe” and cited the rise of misogyny as “the extremism that it is.” She added: We have to acknowledge the huge danger that online content is causing.
“There are too many voices online who are radicalising our young men and boys and time and time again it is women and girls who are paying the price. It is up to all of us to make sure every woman and girl who lives, works and visits Liverpool and the whole Merseyside region is safe and feels safe.”
Cllr Debbie Cooke is chief operating officer at Local Solutions, an organisation that has supported individuals across the city region for 50 years. She bravely spoke of her own experiences and said “not just words, but actions” were needed.
She said: “As a survivor of domestic abuse in the 1970s, I am here with personal experience and professional responsibility in addressing the issue of violence against women and girls. I, like so many others, faced a system that did not believe or protect us, meaning that even when I found the courage to leave, I faced an uphill battle.
“In work, see women and girls in situations that are physically dangerous, emotionally, psychologically and financially damaging.” The Fazakerley East member, who was elected last year, added: “The future must be one where every woman and girl is safe, not just in her own home, but in our communities, the workplace and everyday life.
“We have come far, but we must push for further change.” When she was elected in April 2022, Ellie Byrne became one of the youngest members of the Liverpool Council.
In January last year, the Everton East member said she was already worried about the number of information requests made about her and told councillors at the Town Hall chamber last week how she had faced intense attention online since. She said: “As a young woman in politics, I have seen on social media and how the media portray women in politics.
“We know women face far, far more abuse than their male colleagues for doing the same job, where appearance and performance are scrutinised at a far higher level. I’ve seen relentless attacks on myself by cowards who set up fake accounts on Twitter to attack me and my appearance and we wonder why women don’t get involved in politics.
“The toxic ability to demonise and encourage hate on social media is something that must be challenged, tackled and if we want to see real change we need to make this into law.”
Cllr Rebecca Turner, 22, unseated new Southport MP Patrick Hurley to win her council seat last year. She told members the lengths she would go to in a bid to be safe as a young woman.
She said: “I don’t like going out in the dark on my own, especially in the city centre or through parks. I would never go out in the dark without my phone charged in my pocket just in case there weren’t enough street lights and I needed to use the torch.
“I don’t like hoovering or getting a shower when I’m home alone in case someone’s trying to break in and I can’t hear it. I often get panicked and have to switch off the hoover or shower to just reassure myself it’s quiet and no one’s there.
“I don’t like getting a taxi on my own and will only book through Uber because of the extra safety precautions on their app which have literally saved women’s lives.” Cllr Turner said while she hadn’t been the victim of gender-based violence, far too many women already had been.
She said: “I can’t even begin to imagine how vulnerable, terrified or hopeless one in three women across the country feel who have been raped, stalked or domestically abused due to their sex. No woman or girl should feel at risk because they’re women and girls.”
