(4 minutes read time)
“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.”
― Margaret Atwood
Religious expression, particularly when it comes to women choosing to cover up, such as wearing the hijab or other modest clothing, remains a complex and often misunderstood issue. In the UK, the right for women to dress in accordance with their beliefs is protected, reflecting the country’s commitment to religious freedom and gender equality.
Is this progressive stance welcome everywhere?
This progressive stance has drawn criticism from some countries where such freedoms are limited or viewed as contrary to cultural or religious norms. In certain regions, the advancement of women’s rights in the UK—including their autonomy over clothing, education, and employment—is seen as a threat to traditional structures. This tension underscores the global disparity in gender equality and highlights the importance of continuing to uphold and advocate for these rights, even in the face of international disapproval.
Opinions, debates or hate crimes
In discussions around equality and justice, it’s also important to acknowledge the reality of hate crimes, including those that have affected white British women. Some high-profile cases involving groups of Muslim men have sparked national concern and debate around race, religion, and the protection of vulnerable individuals. These crimes are not representative of any entire community or faith, but they have understandably led to deep public reflection on how cultural differences, systemic failings, and fears of being labelled discriminatory may have allowed certain abuses to go unchallenged for too long. True equality means protecting everyone, regardless of background, from harm, and ensuring that justice is applied consistently, without prejudice or fear. Addressing these crimes transparently is essential not only for healing and accountability but also for building trust across all communities.
Protecting children must be a top priority. UK government are failing our children
Ultimately, while the UK has made important strides in promoting equality, freedom, and justice, there have been serious failings—particularly when it comes to protecting children from abuse. In several cases, concerns were raised but not acted upon, often out of fear of causing cultural offence or being accused of racism. This hesitation has led to devastating consequences for victims and their families, and has rightly shaken public confidence in the systems meant to safeguard the vulnerable. Equality must never come at the cost of safety, and true progress requires the government to act decisively and impartially, ensuring that all communities are held to the same legal and moral standards. Protecting children must always be a top priority, no matter how complex the cultural or political landscape may be.
We call the UK government to step up and protect our children NOW!
The Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal stands as a stark reminder of the consequences when authorities fail to protect vulnerable children. Between 1997 and 2013, an estimated 1,400 children were subjected to horrific abuse by predominantly British-Pakistani men, while local authorities and police failed to act decisively. The Jay Report highlighted that concerns about being labelled racist contributed to inaction, allowing abuse to continue unchecked. This failure not only devastated the lives of countless victims but also eroded public trust in institutions meant to safeguard the most vulnerable. It underscores the imperative for the UK government to ensure that child protection measures are applied consistently and without fear or favour, reaffirming that the safety of children must always be paramount. This is still ongoing because the UK government have not made any changes. Perpetrators have no reason to stop.
Wondering if you are being neglected, abused, groomed?
If you have been a victim of a hate crime or you feel unsafe in any situation, talk to a strong adult who is in a position to hold your truth and help you to safety. Do not rely on women who go along with child abuse and repression of women. They are in a trance-like world of their own, even if it is your own mother. Many women are struggling to be safe and it is not just children or young adults. It is often women of all ages, desperately trying to work out what the truth is. Women have been lied to for generations. Some countries are worse than others but it is a world-wide pandemic.
For any child or young person call Child line and for anyone else call the Samaritans on 116 123.
Being neglected and/or abused makes you feel like you are on your own and no one cares. People do care no matter what your abuser tells you. They are lying to you. You deserve to live safely. Everyone does no matter what you have said or done. A child or even an adult is not consenting to their own abuse no matter how they say you are or that you agree to. We agree to all sorts of things to survive. Our mind and body decides on an unconscious level what the course of action to survive has to be. Read about grooming here.
Misogyny is like a cult
Misogyny, in many ways, mirrors the structure and mindset of a cult—reinforced by centuries of conditioning through religious doctrine and political power. It demands unquestioning adherence to rigid gender roles, often using moral or spiritual justification to keep women confined to positions of submission or silence. In some religious traditions and political regimes, women’s autonomy over their bodies, voices, and choices is systematically denied, upheld by teachings or laws that present this inequality as sacred or necessary. Like a cult, misogyny isolates dissenters, punishes defiance, and conditions both men and women to accept a worldview where male dominance is not only natural but divinely or culturally mandated. Breaking free from this grip requires more than personal awakening; it demands collective courage to question long-held beliefs and dismantle the power structures that enable such control under the guise of righteousness or order. This is often a hate crime. Click here to read more about hate crime on the Victim Support website.
Childhood
If you grew up in a home where there were struggles or just an unhappy feeling about your home, you might have learned early on to keep the peace, stay quiet, or take on too much responsibility just to survive. As a child, you may have felt like it was your job to hold everything together—keeping others calm, managing emotions, or fixing things that weren’t your fault. Without realising it, you might now be doing the same thing not speaking out about how you feel and what you need to feel safe. That coping pattern helped you survive back then, but now it can leave you feeling exhausted, unseen, or stuck in abuse or in one-sided relationships.
How can counselling help?
You can have a voice and you can speak in a safe, confidential space set aside only for you to matter and to be honest about how you truly feel without any repercussions.
Together we form a therapeutic relationship. It is therapeutic because we are both coming together with a goal in mind, to validate you, that what happened was abuse and that it should not have happened. For once in your life you are not alone with it any more. For once in your life you are believed. You can reduce or eliminate addictions, have healthy relationships with yourself, your body, food, with others and the world. You can finally have a life you want, make choices, make hard decisions about your parents, your family, the people who made mistakes and were not there for you when you needed them most.
Are you ready to talk?
I offer a low-cost confidential service. I offer space to speak, find your voice, be really heard and validated. I am a trained professional counsellor who specialises in anxiety and trauma. Make an appointment to meet me and tell me what you want from counselling. See if you feel comfortable. The first session is over Zoom for both of our safety and then you can do sessions over Zoom from your own home or in person in mine, in my safe, comfortable therapy room.
Important to note: If you tell me you will harm yourself or someone else I do have to tell appropriate health professionals or possibly the police if it is a crime or a matter of child-safety.
Book your appointment today
Click here and book a free initial consultation with me today. Read what people are saying about working with me in counselling here. I hold a private, confidential space for you. I’m looking forward to meeting you and hearing you very soon. Best wishes, Karen.
Disclaimer: I am a UK qualified person centred counsellor specialising in anxiety and trauma within the context of counselling. I write from my experiences and from my client work in counselling. My work is dependent on the therapeutic relationship and the meeting of two minds. It is a humbling experience and that is all part of the healing process that I witness every day. It is the best job in the world. This is not an emergency service. If you need to speak to someone urgently outside of my sessions, please call the Samaritans on 116 123 (24/7 confidential helpline in the UK).