Labour has promised to halve violence against women. As another year of grim statistics beckons, that’s a speck of hope worth grasping

There is a classic Christmas episode of EastEnders in which much-loved character Little Mo is abused by her husband, Trevor. After visiting her sisters on Christmas morning, Mo is late for dinner. When she returns, Trevor grabs his wife by the hair and pushes her face into her waiting plate. Gravy dripping down her skin, Mo is pushed out of her chair and forced to eat turkey off the floor.

It was a harrowing storyline but made more so because the viewer knew this was not just fiction: there are countless real-life Little Mos out there, trapped at home in fear and pain at a time of year that should bring joy and peace.

Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist