Not in our name!

Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland (RCTN) is proud to stand alongside more than 200 women’s rights and grassroots organisations in signing a joint statement opposing the racist weaponisation of concerns about violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Standing Against the Weaponisation of Violence Against Women and Girls

The statement, co-ordinated by the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Women for Refugee Women, Hibiscus, and Southall Black Sisters, highlights how sexual violence is being misused for political gain. Anti-migrant groups and politicians have sought to link migration with sexual violence, spreading harmful myths that put survivors and communities at greater risk.

Why this matters

In recent weeks, we have seen alarming claims repeated by people in positions of power and amplified in the media. These claims wrongly suggest that migrant communities are primarily responsible for sexual violence. Not only is this unfounded, but it diverts attention away from the real root causes of VAWG.

The joint statement warns that this narrative:

• Undermines genuine concerns about women’s safety.
• Reinforces damaging myths that violence against women is mostly committed by strangers, when the reality is that most abuse is perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
• Creates fear and hostility towards migrant, minoritised, and Muslim communities, leaving many women and children in temporary asylum accommodation feeling unsafe even in their own neighbourhoods.

Recent statistics further expose this hypocrisy: two out of five people arrested during last summer’s riots – many of whom claimed to act in the name of women’s safety – had themselves been reported to police for domestic abuse.

Our stance

At RCTN, we believe survivors’ experiences must never be hijacked or politicised. Survivors deserve safety, respect, and access to specialist, independent support. Attempts to exploit women’s pain for political agendas put survivors at greater risk and hinder efforts to build the safer, more equal society we are all working towards.

We are proud to stand in solidarity with other national and local organisations, making it clear that violence against women and girls is not caused by migration. The fight to end VAWG must centre survivors’ needs and tackle the real, systemic causes of abuse.

You can read more about this campaign in The Mirror’s coverage here