View from the Lords with Lord Jones, former Cheltenham MP I USUALLY try to make my columns light and easy to read. Words about what is going on in Parliament followed by urging readers to go and see the Robins in action. This time I want to tell you about something really serious. Last week I attended a conference organised by the UK branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The theme was how to encourage more women to become parliamentarians or councillors -- to become leaders. There were delegates from developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, alongside those from first world places, including Cyprus and Guernsey. The most moving session was on domestic violence. I was one of only three men present among a hundred women. The atmosphere was electric. There were three inspiring keynote speakers -- my colleague Lynne Featherstone, who is a Minister in the Department for International Development with special responsibility for equality and gender issues, Baroness Patricia Scotland and Harriet Harman, two former Labour ministers. Mutilation After the presentations, delegates poured their hearts out about the dreadful conditions women face in their countries. Violence, mental abuse, rape, female genital mutilation -- you name the abuse, it got mentioned. Things are bad even in Britain. In recent years the number of women killed in the home has reduced from thirty-five each year to around ten. But it still goes on. The United Nations believes that worldwide one in three women