VAWG Minister resignations, Parental domestic homicide, Author Eleanor Anstruther

This Woman's Hour episode tackles urgent social issues with powerful personal stories and expert analysis. The programme opens with a critique of the UK government's inaction on online child sexual abuse, sparked by the resignation of Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, who accused the government of failing to implement existing technology to block nude images on children's devices. Hannah Swirsky of the Internet Watch Foundation confirms the technology exists and is effective, yet political delays continue to stall progress. The conversation shifts to the devastating impact of parental domestic homicide on children, exemplified by Katie’s harrowing account of losing her mother to her father’s violence and being forced to visit him in prison despite his parental responsibility. A new report by Professor John Devaney and charity Children Heard and Seen reveals that around 120 children annually experience such trauma, with systemic failures in support and a lack of coordinated care. Despite the passage of Jade’s Law in 2024, its delayed implementation and lack of retroactivity leave many children still vulnerable. The episode concludes with a discussion of Eleanor Anstruther’s novel *Fallout*, set at the Greenham Common peace camp, which highlights the overlooked legacy of women’s non-violent protest during the Cold War and calls for its inclusion in school curricula. Anstruther argues that the erasure of women’s history from mainstream education is no accident, but a reflection of systemic marginalization.