Miranda Horvath & Liz Kelly Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit London Metropolitan University

1. From the Outset: Why violence should be a priority for the Commission for Equality and Human Rights Miranda Horvath & Liz Kelly Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit London Metropolitan University

2. Why this paper? • End Violence Against Women (EVAW) submission to the Equalities Review, December 2006. • Raised question of whether violence should be a priority for the CEHR • A cross-cutting and intersectional issue • bodily integrity, safety, human dignity and security • Affects individuals, social groups and communities and the state • Insufficient attention to within current equalities work, limited legacy • Most expertise and knowledge currently in fields of gender based violence and child abuse, where violence is understood as a cause and a consequence of inequality

3. Process • Literature review • Questionnaires and interviews across the equality strands • Two drafts for comment • Final document is a beginning of a ongoing dialogue – with CEHR and within equalities field • hate crime

4. Key findings: victimisation • Young men (16-24) are most at risk of random violence from each other in the public sphere • Girls and young women are more likely to experience sexual violence • Over two thirds of LGB ethnic minority men and women experience homophobic abuse, with even more reporting racist abuse • Levels of sexual abuse are higher for children and adults – especially females - with learning difficulties, but if they report they are least likely to see their case result in a charge and/or conviction • Victimisation follows the contours of disadvantage and exclusion: belonging to a group that is discriminated against increases the likelihood of experiencing violence/abuse

5. Key findings: perpetration • Sex offenders are often not the ‘specialists’ that terms like ‘rapist’, ‘paedophile’, ‘voyeur’ would suggest – they offend across crime types and victim groups • Ian Huntley • We know far less about whether those who commit physical and sexual violence in the private sphere are also implicated in more public forms of violence – such as racist and homophobic abuse • Perpetrators of violence are more likely to select someone over whom they have a privileged position

6. Key findings: policy and provision • Violence is not mainstreamed in equalities thinking or mechanisms • Silo thinking and provision – experiences which cannot be addressed • Human rights offers a powerful framework • Violence provides a route to address the the three pillars of the CEHR - equality, human rights, good relations - in the round

7. Core recommendations 1 • (Re)defining equality and garnering consensus • Personal safety, bodily integrity and human dignity • Human rights as the framework • Levelling up of good relations duty, linked to violence • Consultation to be broadened – variations within constituencies and intersectional positions • Transparency on progress • Required data fields for research, evaluation and official data • Intersectional analysis • Promote coherence across policy layers

8. Core recommendations 2 • Targeted action on persistent inequalities • Medium and longer term prevention targets • Connecting health, justice and education • Accountability for delivering equality • Enhance understand of how violence sustains inequalities and disproportionalities of harm • Equality proofed PSAs • Public procurement and commissioning should ensure access to support, redress and justice for victims of violence • Recognition and support for specialist – single stand – and intersectional service provision • Equitable geographic access

9. Thanks • To everyone who responded to the questionnaire, was interviewed, gave comments • To Holly Dustin, EVAW Campaign manager and Miranda Horvath • To EOC and Roddick Foundation for financial support AND • To CEHR for openness to the argument