Govt mission to tackle violence against women and girls requires strong action on all fronts, PAC warns

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Government continues to be outpaced in its efforts to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) as it lacks a full understanding of the extent and evolving nature of the issues victims and survivors face.  In a report published today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is calling for a truly whole of government effort to tackle the unsustainable pressure on support services and the increasing dangers from online harms.

The PAC‘s inquiry heard that the services supporting the victims and survivors of VAWG have reached crisis point, with evidence that refuges are having to refuse 65% of requests and community-based services are only able to support half of those who ask for help. The rise in demand is being compounded by the increasing complexity of the cases that services are dealing with, with almost half of those in refuges now presenting with mental health problems.

Services also warned of the toll that the short-term and insecure nature of funding was taking on their ability to plan ahead. With 80% of these organisations relying on statutory funding as their main source of income, it is essential that government coordinates all spending on VAWG-related activities and provides long-term funding stability to the sector.

The inquiry found that government departments don’t have a complete understanding of either the extent of VAWG, or of work happening at a local level. In its report, the PAC is calling on government to gain an accurate understanding of the extent and complexity of VAWG and to learn from successful local initiatives.

VAWG affects at least 1 in 12 women each year and 1 in 5 police recorded crimes in 2022-23 related to VAWG. However, it is likely that the true number of those affected is even higher, as many incidents go unreported. Worryingly the Home Office’s current survey to measure the prevalence of VAWG does not collect data on all crime types, nor does it collect responses from under-16s. This is of particular concern to the PAC, as it heard that the most likely age range to become a survivor or perpetrator of sexual violence is between 11-20 years old.

The PAC is concerned that the current approach to tackling VAWG is not putting enough emphasis on the preventative measures that will be necessary if it hopes to achieve long-term change. Government must set out how it will work with boys to prevent harmful attitudes perpetuating, and how it will improve the safety of children and young people online.

The Department for Education needs to step up and take a more proactive approach given the proliferation of misogynistic attitudes across social media platforms, and their influence on young men and boys, highlighted by the PAC as a key area in need of attention. The increase in the number of cases reported to the revenge porn helpline from 521 to 22,000 in just nine years, serves to highlight the evolving nature of VAWG.

The PAC fears this is symptomatic of a wider issue across a range of departments who appear to have limited understanding of the scale of the challenges they face in addressing this issue. Departments apparently lack awareness of wider pressures on services for survivors and victims including those caused by shortfalls in the availability of safe accommodation due to the housing crisis and increased demand for advocacy services caused by delays in the justice system. The PAC’s report on crown court backlogs identified a deep concern around the devastating impacts the backlog has on victims and survivors of rape and serious sexual offence cases.

The Home Office must now set out precisely how it will lead a truly cross-government effort in tackling VAWG that puts preventative measures at its heart and has the commitment of all departments.

Committee member comment

Anna Dixon MP, member of the Public Accounts Committee said:

“The levels of violence against women and girls in our country are truly appalling and it is right the government have set out a mission to halve it. Success will require urgent and coordinated action across departments to ensure victims and survivors can be confident that they will receive the support they need, get swift justice, and preventative action is taken. This is not an issue the Home Office can tackle alone; while arresting perpetrators is vital, it will not solve this problem. It is crucial that we address the underlying cultural issues, particularly the rise in harmful online content shaping misogynistic views in young men and boys. Education and other preventative measures to counter the spread of harmful content are needed.

“Tackling the housing crisis will also be vital if government is to achieve its aim of halving violence against women and girls.  During our inquiry, we heard that there are only two wheelchair accessible refuges nationally. This is completely unacceptable. Women should not be forced to remain in unsafe, potentially life-threatening situations because of a lack of suitable accommodation.

“While it was welcome to hear of recent efforts to better coordinate action across departments, officials’ evidence caused alarm bells to ring. On some types of harm, government appears to be oblivious to the true scale and there remains scant evidence or learning from what is working locally. It is vital that the Home Office seizes this opportunity to lead and co-ordinate strong action across departments to ensure victims and survivors have access to the services and support they need and deserve, and that as a society we reverse the worrying rise in misogyny.”

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