London Letters: Rahul gets a rousing response, new measures against domestic abuse lauded

Talking to the Indian Express about these meetups, Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) president Kamal Dhaliwal said, “Mr Gandhi’s events in the UK are witnessing a huge success. After Cambridge lecture, he has met with intellectuals and businessmen from the diaspora community. A press meet is being organised on Saturday afternoon. We are organising a diaspora community conference at Heston Hyde Hotel in Hounslow on Sunday. All security and other arrangements are in place for that.

“There has been an overwhelming response to Mr Gandhi’s visit. We have had to change the venue to a bigger one to accommodate more members of the public as there was a lot of interest. It is specially heartening as a large number of university students and young people have registered to attend the conference. About 1500 people are expected to attend. The public will start coming in around 1 pm. Mr Gandhi will be at the venue from 3pm to 5.30pm. Mr Gandhi wants this to be an opportunity for him to share his experiences of the Bharat Jodo Yatra with the diaspora community. On Monday, a special event will be held with community leaders in the Parliament and that is being hosted by MP Virendra Sharma.”

“There has been an overwhelming response to Mr Gandhi’s visit,” IOC president Kamal Dhaliwal said.

The House of Commons event on Monday is scheduled from 1.45pm to 3pm where Gandhi will interact with Parliamentarians and specially invited guests and talk about his Bharat Jodo Yatra. When asked about hosting Gandhi at the Parliament, MP Sharma said, “As Chair of the Indo-British APPG, a Member of Parliament on Indian origin and representative of Ealing Southall, I believe deeply in the value of the relationship between India and the UK. To me, this means promoting discussion and cooperation between both nations, helping both understand the other, and working not selfishly but collaboratively…

“I believe both are fundamentally key allies, democratic, progressive and committed to the rules based international order…I am proud to have invited a broad range of political leaders in both countries to discuss and share their visions. Rahul Gandhi is no different. A political leader with a vision for future, and as a key leader of the Congress, he is part of the discussion about the future UK-India relationship…The debate is not limited to a political future but must embrace the cultural, social and business ties that bind both countries as people are the living bridge.”

New domestic abuse measures welcomed

The diaspora community circles have welcomed the recent announcement of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to toughen measures against domestic abuse in the country with many lauding it as a step in the right direction as the new proposals “focus on stopping domestic abuse before it takes place.”

Founding director of Southall-based community group Voice of Women, Surinder Kaur says, “The government needs to be applauded for updating the measures against the abusers of domestic violence. It usually starts with non-physical coercion and to put it at par with physical violence is a welcome step forward. All I say to women is to raise voice against it as soon as it starts rather than wait for the abuse to get worse. We should stop worrying about what the society will say.”

“I cried when I heard our PM say, ‘No woman or girl should ever have to feel unsafe in her home or community’. It felt like someone has felt the pain countless women feel and live every day. Domestic violence is a national crisis and BAME communities are often stereotyped as perpeterators. So, this coming from Rishi Sunak was heartening for more reasons than one,” says Abida Hossain, a Yorkshire-based community worker, who helps vulnerable victims of domestic abuse get help from the local authority.

Reena Thapa (not real name), says, “For me, this is a welcome announcement. My partner has been able to get away with all non-physical abuse as there hasn’t been enough evidence against him ever. I will now be able to receive emergency help from my nearby job centre. I also am glad about the ruling about tagging the abuser, cautioning them to keep distance from the victim’s house.”

Hillingdon councillor and Borough Domestic Violence Victims Advocate Janet Gardner, who works with victims of domestic abuse within diverse communities, says, “The most important thing to remember is that any form of domestic abuse should not be tolerated, and I believe that it should be taught at school from a very early age. Victims, both adult and children, need to know that abuse is a crime and that they should feel confident in being able to ask for help. The first step to get out of an abusive relationship is the hardest but there is huge wealth of support available.”

Renowned businesswoman and councillor, who is a champion of community issues, Sital Punja, says, “Whilst I welcome the government’s move to recognise coercive behaviour, legislating is only the start. For this to be a reality for victims of domestic abuse, there needs to be an overhaul of how domestic abuse is treated by the judicial system as well as by society. My teenaged daughter is continuously complaining that the teachers say her skirt is too short but never focus on teaching boys respectful and appropriate behaviour.”

Meanwhile, Former Shadow Minister for Preventing Violence against Women and Girls and MP from Feltham and Heston Seema Malhotra said the government’s commitment to treat violence against women and girls as a national threat was clearly needed. She said a Labour government would make tackling and eliminating violence against women and girls a national priority.

Sikh Women’s Aid founder Sahdaish Pall, referring to the Labour Party’s Green Paper on ending VAWG (Violence against Women and Girls), says, “Labour’s proposals seek to ensure all victims of violence are seen, supported and protected. Migrant women and girls, as well as women and girls who are BAME, LGBT+ or disabled can face additional barriers to accessing support.”

(The writer is a freelance journalist based in London contributing content to digital, print, radio and TV platforms)