The Mayor of London has announced the \u2018first-ever fund\u2019, consisting of \u00a315.6m, to work with women and girls to improve safety in public spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Greater London Authority writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today branded the global and national epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG) \u2018a disgrace that shames us all\u2019, as he unveiled bold new plans backed up by record investment to work with women and girls to help transform public spaces across London. The Mayor has overseen a record investment of \u00a3318m to tackle the evolving threat of VAWG since he became Mayor, but in the wake of rising tech-enabled crimes, toxic influencers promoting violent, misogynistic content and the shocking case of murderer and sexual predator Simon Levy, Sadiq is clear that further action needs to be taken to address this global issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why he today published a new wide-ranging strategy to build on his ground-breaking work to tackle VAWG through prevention programmes and safety improvements, designed to support victims and stop perpetrators. It includes a first-ever \u00a315.6m fund that will give women and girls a voice in transforming public spaces. The new fund \u2013 which will be a collaboration between City Hall, the Mayor\u2019s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and Transport for London (TfL) \u2013 will provide support to local authorities to make public spaces safer, using the experience of women and girls who know their area best to help in the design of parks, streets and other areas in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This could include a range of improvements such as better lighting and CCTV, removing blind spots and opening up spaces to make places feel safer, more inclusive and better used by a wider range of people. It builds on a successful trial in 2024 where MOPAC and TfL worked with women and girls across five boroughs to better understand their safety issues and how their experience could promote better design in the future. Across the UK, 86 per cent of women and girls aged 18-24 have experienced harassment in public spaces and research has shown that Londoners feel less safe in town centres, pubs and clubs, parks and open spaces, and on public transport, than they do in other environments such as at home or at work. The Mayor has already overseen a record-breaking \u00a3318m of investment to strengthen action against VAWG perpetrators; support victims and survivors; and pioneer a whole society, long-term preventative approach to tackling misogynistic beliefs and behaviours that contribute to VAWG. Since the publication of his last VAWG strategy in 2022, London has seen improvements in the police investigation and prosecution of rape, an increase in the percentage of women who feel safe walking alone in their local area after dark, and a coordinated approach to prevention and early intervention including the work of London’s Violence Reduction Unit. The Mayor\u2019s bold new strategy today sets out how he will extend this work together with Government, the Met and partners across the capital to prevent VAWG, support victims and survivors, and stop perpetrators and hold them to account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new strategy is backed by a further investment of more than \u00a337m. Alongside the new fund to improve public spaces, this funding includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This funding complements the wide-ranging work taking place as part of the Mayor\u2019s public-health approach to tackling VAWG. That has included supporting the Met to go after the worst perpetrators of VAWG, challenging and supporting the Met to reform, improving the experience of victims and survivors in the criminal justice system, strengthening the protection of children from exploitation and harm in all its forms, delivering innovative GPS tagging programmes to ensure the behaviour of men is the focus for change, and delivering the multi-award winning \u2018Have a Word\u2019 and \u2018Say Maaate to a Mate\u2019 campaigns to challenge misogyny. The Mayor will launch his new strategy in East London and see an area women and girls from the local area helped design with safety features in mind. The designs include consistent lighting, dedicated open spaces and loungers to encourage groups to meet and enjoy the space, managed landscaping to ensure visibility and routes are open, specified safe havens and place markers which improve feelings of safety. Sadiq will also meet with survivors, practitioners and VAWG sector experts and saw some of the safety features that were inspired by women and girls as they discussed the evolving challenges of VAWG they are facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: \u2018My goal as Mayor is to make every woman and girl in London safer \u2013 and feel safer \u2013 in our city, which is why I have overseen a record-breaking \u00a3318m to tackle VAWG, addressing its root causes and supporting victims. We have seen real progress from this work, but the epidemic of violence against women and girls is a global disgrace that shames us all. What so many women and girls have had to endure and continue to endure is unacceptable and every aspect of society has a part to play in changing this. That\u2019s why I have launched a new strategy to accelerate our efforts and adapt to the changing threats that women face online, at home and on our streets. This includes a first-ever new fund that will see us work with women and girls to help transform public spaces across our capital. By giving a voice to women and girls who know their local areas best, we can work with local authorities to make these spaces safer and more welcoming at all times of day. Despite the challenges, VAWG truly is preventable and I am committed to working with the government, the Met, charities, as well as local, national and global partners, to ensure that every woman and girl can participate fully in the life of our great city, without experiencing or fearing harassment, abuse or violence.\u2019\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n