London:
Indian-origin British MP Seema Malhotra has been appointed as the Labour party's first-ever shadow minister dealing with violence against women and girls.
42-year-old Ms Malhotra was named shadow minster by Britain's Opposition party leader Ed Miliband.
Ms Malhotra's role will also involve working on Labour's Women's Safety Commission, which will draw up laws to be enacted if Miliband wins the next election.
A shadow minister is a member of the main opposition party in Parliament who would hold ministerial office if their party were in power.
The Feltham and Heston MP said there was a "shocking" level of violence against women both in Britain and abroad, and too little was being done to help victims.