CAMPAIGNERS stressed today the need to tackle misogynistic culture as a root cause of violence against women and cautioned against quick fixes. 

It comes after a mother and her two daughters were killed at their home in Hertfordshire on Tuesday.

Kyle Clifford was arrested on suspicion of murdering Carol Hunt, wife of BBC sports commentator John Hunt, and their two daughters, Hannah and Louise, with a crossbow.

The latter is understood to have been a former partner of Mr Clifford.

Labour are now urgently reviewing existing laws on crossbows, but End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAWC) has warned that “quick-fix” measures, such as banning certain weapons, would not stop men intent on harming women.

EVAWC executive director Andrea Simon underlined that such bans “don’t get to the root cause of the issue, which is the normalisation of women’s inequality and the male entitlement, power and control it produces.”

She emphasised the need for campaigns that tackle attitudes that drive violence against women, adding that the media plays a vital role.

She said she was disturbed that “we’re continuing to see headlines describing the perpetrator as a ‘nice guy’.”

“These reports build sympathy for perpetrators and often try to justify their actions,” she said.

The most common suspect for female homicide victims aged over 16 is their partner or ex-partner, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Refuge interim chief executive Abigail Ampofo said: “The danger from crimes like this is from the perpetrator, not the tools used to enact their violence.

“The focus needs to be on tackling violence against women and girls more widely and addressing misogynistic culture that is the root cause.”