Where is the money going? Fury rises over violence against women and girls ‘epidemic’

Violence against women and girls is a “significant and growing problem”, a shocking report has revealed.

One in 12 suffered abuse last year, the National Audit Office said.

But many victims are still being failed and the Home Office does not know “what impact” its efforts to resolve the “epidemic” are having.

The watchdog also revealed “the Government has a limited understanding of what works” in preventing violence against women and girls, with most of the work focusing on reducing reoffending, rather than “initial offences”.

The police flagged 827,609 offences as domestic abuse-related in YE September 2024, including 646,211 violence against the person offences

The proportion of violence offences linked to domestic abuse was 33%, similar to the previous year’s 34%.

The prevalence of sexual assault against women aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales was 4.3% in 2023-24, up from 3.4% in 2009-10, the NAO said.

In that same period, incidents of rape and sexual assault against women and girls recorded by police rose from 34,000 to 123,000, although the NAO said this could partly be explained by improved recording of such crimes.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “Government’s efforts to tackle violence against women and girls have not yet improved outcomes for the victims of these crimes.

“The lack of an effective, cross-government approach and a limited understanding of what works to help reduce these crimes, means the Home Office cannot be confident that government is doing the best it can to keep women and girls safe.  “The new government has set an ambitious target to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade.

“A well-informed and effectively implemented cross-government response is needed, that addresses both the causes and the consequences of these crimes.”

Amelia Whitworth, Head of Policy, Campaigns & Youth at global children & girls’ rights charity Plan International UK, says: “Fear of facing violence is an everyday reality for girls, that restricts their freedom and impacts their mental health. Our own research found that 93% of girls and young women in the UK do not feel “completely safe” in public spaces.

“Tired of empty words of empowerment, girls want to see real tangible change in their lives.

“We welcome the Government’s plan to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, and urge them to approach this issue with a ten-year gender equality strategy that involves all departments and delivers sustainable funding for support services.

“This must include delivering on meaningful ways to prevent from gender-based violence – they deserve no less.”

Labour has pledged to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

But the NAO said that to meet this target, the Home Office “will need to lead a coordinated, whole-system response that addresses the causes of VAWG”.

While the Home Office under the created a dedicated team to lead its 2021 VAWG strategy, the NAO said the department had “found it challenging to get buy-in from other government departments”, with an oversight group working to progress the strategy not having met until a year after the launch.

A ministerial oversight group for the strategy “only met four times in three years”, the NAO said.

Public Accounts Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the NAO report shows a “disjointed” approach from Government to tackling the “epidemic” of VAWG.

He said: “It is disappointing that the Home Office does not know where money is being spent and whether it is making a difference.

“If the Home Office is serious about halving violence against women and girls within the next decade, it cannot continue relying on fragmented efforts.”

Cllr Heather Kidd, Chairwoman of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Any instance of violence against women and girls is shocking, saddening, and unacceptable. It is good that the majority of commitments made in the previous government’s VAWG Strategy and Domestic Abuse Plan have been met, but there is still much progress needed in tackling the issue.

“There needs to be a wider societal cultural shift towards preventing abusive and violent behaviour. Women and girls should feel and be safe in all aspects of their lives, and at all times, whether that be in education, at home, work or in their local communities. Nobody should be or made to feel unsafe because of their religion, ethnicity, or their appearance.

“Local government has a key role to play in preventing violence against women and girls and responding to it. Councils work hard to provide the support and safety needed by people who face this threat and want to work with government to improve outcomes for victims and survivors.

“However, long-term funding challenges continue to negatively impact on council’s ability to provide the essential services that make women and girls feel safe, empowered, and confident about their futures.”