UK Inquiry Tracker

Tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 15 Jan 2025 Closed: 17 Jul 2025 Parliament page

One in five women in their lifetime are estimated to be victims of sexual assault or attempted assault. One in twelve are reported to be victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) annually. The true figure is likely to be much higher. The Government introduced its Tackling VAWG strategy … Read more One in five women in their lifetime are estimated to be victims of sexual assault or attempted assault. One in twelve are reported to be victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) annually. The true figure is likely to be much higher. The Government introduced its Tackling VAWG strategy in 2021, supplemented by the Tackling Domestic Abuse plan in 2022. The new Government has announced its Safer Streets mission , which aims to reduce serious harm and increase public confidence in policing and in the criminal justice system, and has committed to halve VAWG in a decade. Police-recorded VAWG-related crime increased by 37% between 2018 and 2023, according to the National Policing Statement for VAWG in July 2024. This found that over one million VAWG-related crimes were recorded during 2022/23, accounting for 20% of all police recorded crime. In 2025, the National Audit Office are examining the work of the Home Office and its partners to implement the 2021 strategy and the 2022 Domestic Abuse Plan. Based on the NAO report, the PAC will hear from senior Home Office officials on subjects including how Government will prioritise tackling VAWG and progress in preventing it. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Please note that the Committee is unable to consider or assist with individual cases. If you are in immediate danger, contact the police. If you are not comfortable contacting the police you can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline . We may treat submissions confidentially, even where you have not requested this for a number of reasons. In reaching a decision in each case, the Committee considers: The risk of disclosing sensitive personal information, including that of those who did not submit evidence to the inquiry The long-term impact of publishing personal information into the public domain The possibility of exposing vulnerable individuals, including those who are in emotional distress, dangerous circumstances, or financial instability The submission’s relevance to the Committee’s inquiry The risk of prejudicing any legal proceedings which may have begun or which may begin in the near future. If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 27 February 2025. Please note the Committee is unable to help with individual cases. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Show less

18 Recommendations

15 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

8 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 12 events

8 Jan
2026

Correspondence

9. Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology relating to the Committee’s Twenty-sixth Repo…

24 Nov
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to a clarification of the Government’s response to the Committee’s Twenty-s…

17 Nov
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Director General, Public Safety of the Home Office relating to the Commencement of Operation Encompass (Committee’s evidenc…

16 Oct
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office relating to the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy Update, 03 October …

18 Sep
2025

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-sixth report from Session 2024-26

4 Sep
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Director General of Public Safety Group at Home Office relating to the Government announcement called the Drive Project to …

7 Jul
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office relating to the update on the publication of the cross-government Violence Against W…

16 May
2025

Report published

26th Report - Tackling Violence against Women and Girls

31 Mar
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office relating to the oral evidence session held on 17 March 2025 on VAWG, 26 March 2025

17 Mar
2025

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

17 Mar
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Committee event

11 Feb
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office relating to the NAO report and the Home Offices’ progress in tackling violence again…

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

17 Mar 2025

View on parliament.uk

Emma Payne · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Farah Nazeer · Women's Aid Justin Russell · Department for Education Nicole Jacobs DBE Professor Katrin Hohl · Independent Advisor to the Rape Review Richard Clarke · Home Office Sir Matthew Rycroft · Home Office Talitha Rowland · Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
26th Report - Tackling Violence against Women and Girls	HC 644	16 May 2025	33	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

33 results

2 Recommendation Accepted

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

Improve government departments' understanding of domestic abuse survivors' experiences and local service demands.

Government departments do not have a realistic understanding of the experiences of survivors seeking support, nor the demands faced by local services on the ground. Government departments appear to have a starkly different understanding of the support provided to survivors … Read more Government departments do not have a realistic understanding of the experiences of survivors seeking support, nor the demands faced by local services on the ground. Government departments appear to have a starkly different understanding of the support provided to survivors of domestic abuse who seek support in their local communities compared with the reality. We were particularly concerned to hear that the Ministry 3 for Housing, Communities and Local Government believes that in the majority of cases domestic abuse survivors are met with adequate support from their local authority, as this does not align with what we have learnt from our constituents. It is also clear that this disjointed understanding extends to departments’ understanding of the demands being felt by support services locally. The Chief Executive of Women’s Aid told the Committee that the demands being faced by charities are increasing both in volume and complexity. For example, an increased demand for specialist mental health support for victims and survivors of violence against women and girls following the COVID–19 pandemic. Developing technology is also contributing to changes in the nature of abuse and the methods used by perpetrators. Wider pressures on services are exacerbating these demands, for example the housing crisis is making it even harder for local authorities to provide survivors with safe accommodation and, in turn, increasing the demand for temporary refuges. Wider demands on the justice system also mean that the criminal justice process is taking longer, with family courts processes becoming harder to navigate, thus increasing the demand on independent advocacy services (IDVAs). We are particularly concerned to hear that it is common for survivors to find going through the family courts processes to be almost more abusive than having experienced abuse by the perpetrator, seeing the courts as harmful, misogynistic spaces. recommendation As part of its Treasury Minute response, th Show less

Government Response

The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, detailing its survivor-informed approach through VAWG roundtables, the DAC’s VOICES network, and a Survivor Summit. The Ministry of Justice's Private Law Pathfinder project is running in six court areas and will extend to four more by March 2026, and the Home Office will continue its survivor-informed approach.

HM Treasury

Tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)

Activity timeline 12 events

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Recommendations & Conclusions

Improve government departments' understanding of domestic abuse survivors' experiences and local service demands.

Mandate Home Office to outline coordinated cross-government VAWG spending and long-term funding stability.

Require Home Office to capture and share evidence of successful local VAWG initiatives.

Require Home Office to outline VAWG halving progress measurement and ensure departmental intelligence sharing.

Mandate Home Office to outline greater emphasis on preventative VAWG measures and inter-departmental collaboration.

Require DSIT to outline Online Safety Act's impact on children's safety and VAWG prevention.

Committee reviewed evidence from key organisations on tackling violence against women and girls.

Home Office expresses confidence in 'Safer Streets' mission collaboration and accountability structures.

Home Office failed to sufficiently embed specialist VAWG sector expertise in strategy development.

VAWG charities face overwhelming, complex demands, exceeding capacity due to external factors.

Specialist VAWG services inadequately equipped to support all survivors with diverse needs.

Domestic abuse survivors frequently lack adequate accommodation support despite statutory local authority duties.

Home Office lacks comprehensive understanding and central coordination of cross-government VAWG spending.

Home Office acknowledges current lack of comprehensive VAWG spending data, promising future improvements.

Short-term funding settlements critically undermine VAWG services' ability to recruit and retain specialist staff.

Financial uncertainty significantly harms smaller 'by-and-for' VAWG services crucial for diverse survivor needs.

Government lacks comprehensive understanding of effective VAWG interventions and mechanisms to share good practice.

Home Office seeks to encourage local VAWG innovation by funding evaluations and test-and-learn initiatives.

Home Office plans to nationally disseminate effective VAWG approaches through the College of Policing centre.

Home Office evidence review highlights effective VAWG interventions but reveals data gaps.

Home Office VAWG prevalence measurement strategy uses limited data and undefined headline metrics.

Inadequate data recording obscures the full extent of VAWG, particularly for minoritised groups.

Inconsistent VAWG definitions across government impede consistent progress monitoring and accurate measurement.

Lack of clear definitions for specific VAWG crime types hinders effective strategy and response.

Home Office makes little progress on VAWG prevention, straining criminal justice system capacity.

High prevalence of sexual violence and controlling behaviour affects young people aged 11-20.

DfE conducts extensive early intervention and increases funding for family domestic abuse support.

DfE's updated RSE curriculum shows potential, but lacks sufficient data on under-16s.

Operation Encompass, statutorily mandated, remains uncommenced with no clear start date.

VAWG Strategy lacks specific provisions to address harmful attitudes among boys beyond RSE.

Tech-enabled violence against women and girls represents a rapidly evolving and increasing threat.

Developing technology significantly changes abuse methods, integrating into most domestic abuse cases.

Online Safety Act contains loophole failing to legislate against non-consensual intimate imagery possession.

Government Response AI assessment · 33 of 18 classified

Correspondence 8 letters