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

11 results

7 Recommendation Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

We are concerned that government departments’ approach to tech–enabled violence against women and girls is not sufficiently agile to address the threats posed by online harm. Tech–enabled VAWG is a rapidly evolving threat. For example, in 2024 the revenge porn … Read more We are concerned that government departments’ approach to tech–enabled violence against women and girls is not sufficiently agile to address the threats posed by online harm. Tech–enabled VAWG is a rapidly evolving threat. For example, in 2024 the revenge porn helpline received 22,000 cases, compared with 521 in 2015. The Online Safety Act, introduced in October 2023, was designed to ensure that people are protected from harmful online content, notably children and young people. The Act legislates the removal of harmful content from social media platforms. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) 7 is the sponsoring department for the Online Safety Act and is responsible for investigating how the design of online platforms can contribute to or mitigate such violence. As of 16 March 2025, service providers must have completed their risk assessments for illegal content which assessing the risk of users encountering illegal content or, of the platforms being used to commit or facilitate an offence. The Committee welcomes these efforts to try and address some of the evolving threats emerging from technological advancements, as it is clear that social media can play a significant role in shaping the attitudes of young people. However, the Committee is concerned that departments’ reactive approach to tackling this issue may not sufficiently protect those at risk compared with focusing on reducing the production and possession of the harmful content in the first instance. We did not hear convincing evidence that DfE is yet taking a sufficiently proactive role in educating young people, especially boys, on the dangers on exposure to harmful online content, and how this can lead to misogynistic attitudes. recommendation a. In six months’ time, DSIT should write to the Committee outlining the impact that the Online Safety Act has had on improving the safety of children and young people online, and the role it is expected to play in preventing VAWG in the l Show less

Government Response

The government states the recommendation is implemented and describes the Department for Education's existing work on online safety in schools through statutory safeguarding guidance, filtering standards, and the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, which is under review. However, the response does not commit DSIT to writing to the Committee about the *impact of the Online Safety Act* as specifically requested.

HM Treasury

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13 Recommendation Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

The Home Office spent £149 million from April 2021 to the end of September 2024 tackling VAWG, with other government departments spending around £979 million over the period April 2021 to March 2024.28 However, the NAO found that throughout the … Read more

Government Response

The government agreed with the recommendation, but deferred specific action on coordinating cross-government VAWG spending until after departmental budget allocations are finalised post-Spending Review, committing to update the Committee by Autumn 2025.

HM Treasury

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14 Recommendation Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

We asked the Home Office about the potential implications of this on how well it can prioritise efforts and ensure that work is not being duplicated. The Home Office agreed it did not have a comprehensive account of exactly what … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the recommendation to address the lack of a comprehensive account of VAWG spending across departments, with a target implementation date of Autumn 2025. However, specific funding allocations and cross-government spending coordination will only be determined after the upcoming Spending Review and departmental budget processes, with an update to the Committee promised at that time.

HM Treasury

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15 Conclusion Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

Written evidence submitted to the Committee highlights the impact that short–term funding settlements can have on locally run services’ ability to provide adequate, specialist support to survivors of VAWG. Women’s Aid told us that single–year finding settlements limit service providers’ … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the committee's observation on funding stability but states that final funding allocations and plans for cross-government VAWG spending are contingent on the upcoming departmental budget allocation process following the Spending Review. The Home Office commits to updating the Committee once decisions and clarity are obtained, by Autumn 2025.

HM Treasury

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16 Recommendation Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

This financial uncertainty can have particularly devastating consequences on smaller, specialist organisations, including those run ‘by–and–for’ the people that they serve. Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse told us that funding ‘by–and–for’ services not only ensures adequate support for all survivors, … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the recommendation, committing to ensure maximum financial stability for the VAWG sector, particularly specialist 'by-and-for' organisations, with a target implementation date of Autumn 2025. However, specific funding allocations and cross-government spending plans will only be clarified after the Spending Review and subsequent departmental budget processes, with an update to the Committee expected thereafter.

HM Treasury

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25 Conclusion Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

The NAO found that, to date, the Home Office has made little progress developing measures to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG).58 The Home Office told us that it expects that reported rates of VAWG will increase initially due … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the committee's observations and states that the forthcoming VAWG Strategy, due by September 2025, will place prevention at its core, detailing cross-government efforts, educational approaches, and early risk factor identification. Further specifics are contingent on the strategy's publication.

HM Treasury

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26 Conclusion Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

Professor Katin Hohl told us that the most common age of survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence is between 11–20 years old.63 Evidence submitted by the Youth Endowment Fund suggested that 7% of girls and 6% of boys between 13–17 … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the committee's observations and states that the new VAWG Strategy, due by September 2025, will prioritize prevention, focusing on education, challenging societal norms, and identifying early risk factors in children and families to reduce future perpetration and victimization. Further details will be in the forthcoming strategy.

HM Treasury

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27 Conclusion Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

We asked DfE what work it was doing to protect children and young people as well as prevent them from becoming perpetrators in the future. DfE told us it was doing a lot work through early interventions of family support … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the committee's observations and states that the forthcoming VAWG Strategy, due by September 2025, will place prevention at its heart, detailing preventative measures, educational approaches, and early risk factor identification. Specific details on this joint work will be set out in the strategy.

HM Treasury

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28 Conclusion Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

DfE also told us that it has made relationships and sex education (RSE) compulsory in schools since 2020, and in May 2024 revised the curriculum to include discussions on online harm, social media influencers, sharing of intimate imagery and upskirting … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the committee's observations and states that the new VAWG Strategy, due by September 2025, will prioritize prevention, challenging societal norms, and educating children on relationships and consent. Further details on this approach will be set out in the forthcoming strategy.

HM Treasury

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29 Conclusion Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

DfE also told us about Operation Encompass which is a police and education sharing partnership designed to deliver a more joined up approach to supporting children as survivors of domestic abuse.69 This work has a key role in supporting survivors, … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the observation, setting a target date of September 2025, but states that more detailed preventative measures will be set out in the forthcoming VAWG Strategy.

HM Treasury

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30 Conclusion Deferred

26th Report - Tackling Violence ag…

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

We asked DfE specifically what role boys are playing in the prevention work it was delivering through the VAWG Strategy. DfE told us that there is not a part of the new VAWG Strategy specifically designed to address harmful attitudes … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the committee's observations, stating that the new VAWG Strategy, due by September 2025, will integrate prevention, education, and early intervention to address harmful attitudes and behaviours among children and young people. Further specifics will be detailed in the forthcoming strategy.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 33 of 18 classified

Accepted 19

Acknowledged 1

Deferred 11

Not Addressed 2

Total 18 recs + 15 conclusions

Correspondence 8 letters

8 Jan 2026 To committee 9. Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology relating to the Committee’s Twenty-sixth Report on Tackling Violence against Women and Girls, 16 December 2025

Parliament page

24 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to a clarification of the Government’s response to the Committee’s Twenty-sixth Report: Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, 17 November 2025

Parliament page

17 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the Director General, Public Safety of the Home Office relating to the Commencement of Operation Encompass (Committee’s evidence session on 17 March 2025 on Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls), 07 November 2025

Parliament page

16 Oct 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office relating to the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy Update, 03 October 2025

Parliament page

4 Sep 2025 To committee Letter from the Director General of Public Safety Group at Home Office relating to the Government announcement called the Drive Project to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, 18 July 2025

Parliament page

7 Jul 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office relating to the update on the publication of the cross-government Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (VAWG), 02 July 2025

Parliament page

31 Mar 2025 To committee 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

Parliament page

11 Feb 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office relating to the NAO report and the Home Offices’ progress in tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), 31 January 2025

Parliament page