There are virtually no people untouched by violence against women. These are our mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, co-workers, mentors, and friends.

When we talk about violence and abuse against these women, we are not only talking about ‘domestic violence' as popularly understood. We are talking about a wide variety of systematic violence carried out by families, communities, partners and ex-partners, often in the name of love, honour, religion, and culture.

These crimes are a brutal reality in women's lives across the globe, including: intimate partner violence, female genital mutilation, female infanticide, ‘honour killings,' acid attacks, sexual assault, and many others.

They are not restricted to certain countries or communities. They all take place in the UK. There is, quite simply, no section of society untouched by violence against women.

It affects all of us.