Male violence does not take place in a vacuum

There have been lots of reasons to be optimistic this summer: the glorious spectacle of the Olympics; the (relatively) good weather; the Bank of England finally cutting interest rates amid falling inflation. Yet this summer has also seen a pernicious epidemic of violence, hate and prejudice. I’m not talking about the right-wing riots, but the numerous acts of violence against women and girls. Over the last month or so, we have witnessed too many chilling reminders that we have a problem with men who hate women, and that politicians have no idea what to do about this. 

It started in July: Carol Hunt and her daughters Hannah and Louise were brutally murdered in their home, execution-style with a crossbow. In the initial hours, before a suspect was named, many speculated on social media about the potential motive and perpetrator, but to many women the answer was far too obvious: the first suspect is always a jilted partner. Louise’s