Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy

Lord Griffiths of Burry Port Excerpts

Wednesday 21st January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Butler-Sloss (CB)]

My Lords—

[Lord Griffiths of Burry Port (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

It is the turn of the Cross Benches.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Smith of Cluny (Lab)]

I am pleased to be able to tell the noble Lord that the Government will host a round table on FGM in March. It will be focused on prevention, investigation and prosecution, and is part of the whole-society approach to which I have already alluded.

[Lord Griffiths of Burry Port (Lab)]

My Lords, the Istanbul convention was signed up to by the British Government when it was promulgated. It took several years, until 2022, for it to be considered ratified and its provisions incorporated into British law. However, Article 59 remains beyond our reach. It seems that a pilot scheme that was set up in 2022, or at least announced then, has yet to report. This concerns the rights of migrant women and the protections that we ought to be affording them. In the words of my predecessor, when may we expect the outcome of the pilot report so that the Istanbul convention can finally and completely be ratified?

[Baroness Smith of Cluny (Lab)]

My Lords, the structures that have been put in place around the strategy will ensure that any schemes or questions that remain outstanding will be picked up. A cross-government ministerial group will be meeting quarterly, reporting to the safer streets mission board and directly to the Prime Minister. We will be held to account externally on any matters that Members of this House or anyone in the wider society believe are outstanding. We will report annually on our progress, with measurable metrics by which we can be held to account.