Solutions needed to stop carnage

Views from around the world. These opinions are not necessarily shared by Stuff newspapers.

New figures showing a 10 per cent rise in the number of female victims of murder, manslaughter and infanticide in England and Wales in the year to March 2019, to its highest level for 14 years, are extremely concerning. So is an increase in the number of homicides in which the victim was under 16, to its highest level since 2004.

The rise in homicides of women and children, who are mainly killed by partners or close family members (in contrast to men, who are more often killed by friends or strangers), means that home life for women, girls and boys has become less safe.

Theresa May’s domestic abuse bill, which

would have strengthened protection for some victims, fell when December’s general election was called. Meanwhile, an increasingly chaotic situation in the wider criminal justice system has led to well-documented failures, with the position with regard to rape prosecutions especially dire. Recent Guardian research showed that the number of cases referred for charging decisions fell by 32 per cent in the year to September 2019. While it is wise to be cautious about asserting causes and effects, it is surely not far-fetched to suggest that violent men could be emboldened by such circumstances, and that women will continue to suffer until solutions, including new resources for prevention, are found.