Lords Mark International Women’s Day, Target VAWG and Online Abuse

High-Level Summary

The House of Lords held a wide‑ranging debate to mark International Women’s Day, featuring five maiden speeches and contributions from across the House. Opening for the Government, Baroness Lloyd of Effra set out actions on women’s health, tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), and widening opportunities in tech and enterprise. Peers focused on global reversals in women’s rights (notably Afghanistan), conflict‑related sexual violence and the impact of aid reductions, alongside online harms including pornography, deepfakes and livestreamed child sexual abuse. Closing for the Government, Baroness Smith of Malvern reaffirmed domestic commitments on VAWG, online safety measures and women’s health hubs. The motion to take note was agreed and the House adjourned.

Detailed Summary

International Women’s Day: Motion to Take Note – opening statements and Government plans

Baroness Lloyd of Effra moved the motion, “That this House takes note of International Women’s Day”, and framed the day around solidarity and progress: “Courage calls to courage everywhere”. She cited growth in women’s representation—“last year, that figure stood at roughly 40%” of MPs—and leadership gains, noting, “Women occupied over 43% of roles on FTSE 350 executive boards”. She outlined government action on women’s health, parental leave and flexible working, and a strategy to tackle VAWG.

Baroness Lloyd highlighted measures to widen opportunities in tech and enterprise, including a Women in Tech Taskforce to “dismantle barriers to education, training and career progression” and the Invest in Women Taskforce with “£635 million of institutional capital” and “£130 million invested by the British Business Bank”. She urged Members to champion these initiatives: “Let us give so all can gain”. Speaking for the Opposition, Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist pointed to domestic economic challenges, saying, “Female unemployment has risen from 3.5% to 4.2%”.

International focus: Afghanistan, aid and conflict‑related sexual violence

Several peers warned of global setbacks. Baroness D’Souza described Afghanistan as “the only country in the world that strictly forbids secondary and tertiary education for girls” and said “about 2.2 million girls are banned from secondary school”. She urged continued UK investment in girls’ education despite funding pressures. Lord Ahmad highlighted conflict‑related sexual violence, stating, “Women and girls represent 95% of the victims”, and asked Ministers to protect Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI) budgets and update on the International Alliance on PSVI.

Peers including Baroness Sugg and Lord Bates linked aid reductions to serious impacts on women and girls, with Lord Bates arguing that cuts to UK aid would hit “vulnerable women and children” hardest. In closing, Baroness Smith of Malvern reiterated UK support for sexual and reproductive health and rights, noting that PSVI programmes in 2025 “supported nearly 60,000 survivors of conflict‑related sexual violence” and that the approach will be refreshed from 2026.

Online harms, pornography and child protection

Peers focused on online misogyny, deepfakes and child sexual abuse. Baroness Smith of Llanfaes highlighted livestreamed abuse, stating, “The UK is among the top three global consumers of livestreamed child sexual abuse”, and called for on‑device safeguards to detect and prevent such material. Baroness Jenkin of Kennington warned that pornography has become a “mainstream educator” for children and that “the age of first exposure to porn continues to fall”.

Responding for the Government, Baroness Smith of Malvern reaffirmed the aim to halve VAWG within a decade, said the Government wants “to make it impossible for children to take, share or view a nude image” through device‑level measures, and confirmed legislation “to ban nudification apps” via the Crime and Policing Bill, alongside creating a joint team to address regulation of online pornography.

Women’s health, economic participation and workplace equality

Baroness Sugg drew attention to backlogs and diagnosis delays in gynaecology, noting “more than 570,000 women are waiting for gynaecology care”, and said investment yields high returns: “For every £1 invested … the return is elevenfold”. Peers also raised the gender pay gap and under‑representation in senior roles. Baroness Brady said “women my age have the highest pay gap, at 19.7%” and called for accelerated action.

In reply, Baroness Smith of Malvern said the Government has “established women’s health hubs in nine out of 10 integrated care systems” and is tackling gynaecology waits through elective reform. She highlighted the Employment Rights Act requirement for businesses to develop “action plans on the gender pay gap and on menopause support in the workplace” and that the Chancellor has vowed “to close the gender pay gap once and for all”.

Remembrance, maiden speeches and outcomes

Baroness Casey of Blackstock read the annual list of women killed by men, saying she would “read out the names … of the women and girls” and marked “the fifth anniversary of the death of Sarah Everard”. The House welcomed five maiden speeches (Baronesses Nargund, Linforth, MacLeod of Camusdarach, Martin of Brockley and Paul of Shepherd’s Bush), reflecting diverse experience. As Baroness Nargund observed, “women’s rights remain fragile” and closing the gender health gap is “a moral duty and an economic necessity”.

At the end of the debate the motion was agreed—“Motion agreed”—and the House adjourned at 3.25 pm.