ACTION is being taken against misogyny, harassment, and violence towards women and girls.

A motion was passed unanimously by Oxford City Council last week to set up a task force to focus on violence against women and girls in the city.

Labour councillor Shaista Aziz, Cabinet Member of Inclusive Communities, who tabled the motion said: “The purpose is to get the council to look at the issue of violence against women and girls, across every part of the council’s portfolio, particularly focusing on housing, but also in terms of the cultures inside our own organisation.

“We need to ask all the services provided by the council are far more familiar and aware of these issues.”

The task force will reach out to communities and people across the city, creating a space of women to come forward and speak about domestic abuse, sexual assault, and harassment.

Councillor Aziz continued: “We know in our country this year there has been a number of high-profile murders of women and convictions as well.

“The case of Sarah Everard, the conviction of the murderer of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, and the case of Sabina Nessa, who was found dead in the park.

“On top of that we had Covid, and we are still in the pandemic – during this time we have seen a record number of domestic abuse cases reported in this country.

“It is really important that the issue of violence against women and girls is not just tackled at this time of year, or during international women’s day, it’s important to frame this condition correctly.”

As well as the task force, the council will seek to ‘do everything in its power to build a city free from misogyny and violence against women’ and for the council to become a White Ribbon Accredited Organisation.

This national campaign supports workplaces to prevent and respond to men’s violence against women by strengthening a culture of respect, safety and support.

“Men and boys can get involved with the White Ribbon Campaign and start these conversations in their school, in their workplace.

“I think often when we talk about male violence against women, men start saying ‘what about’, what about the boys who are suffering – and the point here is not that no one is suggesting that men and boys don’t matter, but we are saying overwhelmingly in our society, and in most societies around the world, women are disproportionality impacted by violence, and it is systemic.”