An East London council’s debate on how to tackle violence against women and girls became fractious after an ex-Labour member walked out of the Town Hall as she rebuked colleagues for not supporting migrant women.
On Wednesday (July 23) Hackney Council committed to giving school pupils access to classes on healthy relationships and to “work towards the erosion of vital services safeguarding the lives of vulnerable women and children”.
The Labour-run administration’s pledge follows the recent alleged killing of a local woman, Annabel Rook, who was found fatally stabbed after a gas explosion at her home. Her male partner was later charged with her murder.
“One woman is killed by a man every three days,” said Labour councillor Midnight Ross. “Behind closed doors in every ward and every street, there are women and girls living in fear. Whether in romantic or familial relationships, separated from their abusers on a night out or simply going for a walk, the threat of murder remains real.
“But that which doesn’t end in murder, still destroys worlds. Psychological abuse and coercive control can be just as devastating as physical harm,” she said, adding that women and girls were three times more likely to attempt suicide. Cllr Ross said deeper and more “culturally sensitive” interventions were needed in the face of a “surge in toxic masculinity and misogynoir”, referring to hatred towards Black women.
“We will not stop until every woman and every girl is safe.”
Opposition amendment voted down
Hackney’s Green and Independent Socialist members had put down an amendment to the motion, which did not “change its core” but included a more strongly-worded commitment to campaign against cuts to safeguarding service and mentioned barriers faced by migrant women and children accessing support. Specifically, those with No Recourse to Public Funds who are undocumented, asylum seekers or living here on a student visa and do not have the same safety nets under the law.
Cllr Claudia Turbet-Delof, who quit what she called the “toxic, abusive” Labour Party last year, said she was proud to second the amendment “as a survivor of violence against women and girls”. She urged the council to fight to protect very woman “regardless of background or paperwork”.
But after Labour group overwhelmingly voted against the amended motion, meaning it would not be discussed, Cllr Turbet-Delof rebuked her former colleagues for “not caring about undocumented migrant women”, and left the chamber with a parting shot: “This council stinks.”
The Speaker then instructed someone to go out and comfort her.
Labour defends its record
Cllr Sheila Suso-Runge (Labour) said she was “so sorry to see a sister in distress” before she praised the borough’s activism and work done in partnership with organisations like Latin American Women’s Aid, along with the council’s translated intervention services.
Holding back tears, she said: “I hope that she can hear me when I say to her that this is my story too. When violence crept out of the shadows and came for me, I would have been really grateful for the activism and all the things the council does.”
In a statement shared with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cllr Turbet-Delof said: “All councillors voted against a simple but vital amendment to explicitly include the needs of women most at risk, most invisible, and most failed by the current system.”
She added: “The reason why appears to be no more than party loyalty, simply because it came from an opposition councillor.”
The LDRS asked Hackney Labour why members voted down the proposed amendment but the party declined to comment.
In January, Labour, the Greens and Independent Socialists unanimously backed a motion to lobby the Home Secretary to reverse the Conservatives’ hostile environment policy towards undocumented migrants.
Keep up with the latest East London news. Sign up to our MyEastLondon newsletter HERE for daily updates and more.
