Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Con)

I would like to say a few words of thanks. First, I thank all noble Lords who spoke in support of this Bill at Second Reading. It had support from all around the House, and I was grateful for all the backing and encouragement from noble Lords. I hope that the Government will take note of the strength of feeling. I also thank Theo Pembroke in the Public Bill Office for his work in preparing the Bill two years ago and those who gave advice in amendments to this version of the Bill. I thank those outside the House who helped with advice, support and assistance. I very much hope that the Government will find a way to support this Bill, which puts into law their commitments already adopted under UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the subsequent 10 UN Security Council resolutions on the women, peace and security agenda. We have just had 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Still one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence, and the figures are much higher in conflict and in insecure countries. We all recognise that women’s rights are rolling back across the world. As next year is the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing platform for action, supporting this Bill would demonstrate that the UK is standing firm and continuing to lead the world on this agenda.