Last stop of the day is the Kurdish Community Centre in Portland Gardens N4. It is the start of the three-day festival celebrating women. Tonight I am on a panel of four women – two of the others of whom are famous Kurdish human rights campaigners and we are speaking on: ‘Kurdish Women – Fighting for Freedom Against Violence’.

The struggle of Kurdish women is astonishing – the violence against them (and of course other women too – sadly it’s universal) is too terrible.

But so is the reaction of our police – sadly. You may have read recently of Banaz Mahmod – the so-called Honour Killing. Domestic violence is what that was – men dominating women’s lives as if we are still their chattels. Makes me sick. But Banaz went to the police six times – and they took virtually no notice.

A woman in the audience this evening raised her hand to say that it happened to her too. She went to the police eight times – and they did not help her. I said to the women there – that if they find themselves in that position and the police do nothing after even the first time they go for help – then they must go to their Member of Parliament. For if I have a Kurdish (or any) women come to me who says she is in danger and the police are doing nothing I will raise it in Parliament and in the media and anywhere to get attention. The police have come a long way on rape and domestic violence – but clearly not nearly far enough.