The government's war on women continues

Trigger warning

Today i have learnt:

That the government have scrapped the post that was dedicated to eradicating female genital mutilation. This comes weeks after they pledged to fight the practise that cuts off girls' clitorises, leaving them more often than not with health problems, pain during sex, periods and childbirth. FGM is a form of violence against women and girls that is about controlling women and their sexuality. As is, ftr, labiaplasty, which, unlike FGM, is perfectly legal in the UK and recommended by celebrity doctors, despite it having similar causes and side effects.

I also learnt that the government have made the following cuts to domestic violence services:
(via: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/mar/30/cuts-domestic-violence?CMP=twt_gu)

60% of refuge services will have no council funding after tomorrow (1st April 2011) and neither will 72% of floating support services.

40% of jobs will be lost across the domestic violence sector - meaning that women and men and children needing vital support to escape violence simply won't get it. It will also affect educational efforts to prevent violence. It also means a few hundred people will be unemployed.

70,000 women and children will be without support to escape violence as a result o f these cuts. 70,000 women and children who are being subjected to violence will be unable to escape violence as a result of these cuts.
This will lead to a rise in murders, rapes and assaults.
This will lead to a rise in murders, rapes and assaults.

There are currently 400 refuge spaces in England. The cuts (60%) are reducing that to 160.

Every DAY, 200 women are unable to access a refuge space. Many of these women simply have no-where else safe to go.

Clegg and Cameron, exactly how many women do you want to die, do you want to see raped, do you want to see battered until you think that your ideological cuts have gone too far? How many women have to die? How many have to be raped? Are 2,000 women a week being raped and 2 women a week being murdered not bad enough? Because, apparently, you don't appear to give a shit that it's already happening. And you don't appear to give a shit that your cuts are going to make it worse.

If you don't already, please set up a direct debit to support Women's Aid:
http://www.womensaid.org.uk/landing_page.asp?section=0001000100070001