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HOME AFFAIRS – VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS STRATEGY: ROLE OF PARENTS - 15 December 2025

HOME AFFAIRS – VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS STRATEGY: ROLE OF PARENTS - 15 December 2025

Sir Julian Lewis: Is the strategy going to emphasise in any way the role of parents in trying to protect their sons from a torrent of online violent abuse of women, which inevitably is going to distort their attitude to relationships? Schools can do some things, but some things, surely, have to be done within the family?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Jess Phillips): I absolutely agree. Schools need to play a vital part, as do the tech companies that have been identified, but absolutely there is a need for parents, who are often pulling their hair out trying to know the right thing to do. Parents who become abuse victims by children with some of those attitudes is a long under-served group within violence against women and girls. If we look at the femicide data, the number of matricides speaks to a broader problem. Ensuring that parents are part of the solution will be part of the strategy.]