The National Audit Office (NAO) have today published a new report that shows the ‘epidemic of violence against women and girls’ is getting worse despite government intervention.
The report after the former Conservative government launched the ‘Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls strategy in 2021, in response to the deaths of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa.
Sabina Nessa was a year one primary school teacher in London who tragically lost her life in September 2021 after being murdered by Koci Selamaj – a man with a history of domestic violence who attacked Nessa while she was walking home after meeting her friends for drinks.
Devastatingly, Sarah Everard, a former marketing executive, lost her life in a similar way. The forever 33-year-old was kidnapped, raped and murdered by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021.
Though these cases urged the government to better address violence against women and girls, the report from NAO discovered it is still a ‘significant and growing problem’ affecting one in 12 women in England and Wales.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Commons public accounts committee, said: ‘Government’s disjointed approach to tackling the epidemic of violence against women and girls has so far failed to improve outcomes for victims.
‘It is disappointing that the Home Office does not know where money is being spent and whether it is making a difference.’
On the subject of money, the report outlined that the Home Office underspent on its own violence against women and girls budget by an average of 15% between 2021-22 and 2023-24. What’s more, 78% of the commitments in the strategy had been met by July 2024 though several were not new, and ‘most’ related to additional funding, holding meetings and publication of new guidance.
The majority of activities introduced within the last few years have focused on limiting reoffences rather than avoiding anything from happening in the first place.
‘This confirms our concern that meaningful and dedicated primary prevention work has been sidelined,” said Andrea Simon, the director of the End Violence Against Women coalition. ‘The lack of attention to prevention is deplorable, especially as we know VAWG is significantly under-reported.” She added: “It is imperative that any new VAWG strategy comes with spending commitments that match the scale and seriousness of an epidemic of offending.’
With these findings in mind, the report is calling on the Labour government to address violence against women and girls, which accounted for 20% of all police-recorded crime in 2022-23. So far, prime minister Keir Starmer has pledged to halve offences in ten years, though campaigners have recently claimed this promise is laudable but impossible.
Given the findings of the NAO, it’s not difficult to understand groups pessimism, though, with time, they could hopefully be proved wrong.
Cllr Heather Kidd, chair of the Local Government Association’s safer and stronger communities board, told Social Care Today: ‘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.’
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