A new report released on 31 January 2025 by the National Audit Office (NAO) reveals that despite this and the previous government’s initiatives, there has been no significant improvement in outcomes for victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG).
The report highlights that the Home Office has made little progress in developing measures to prevent VAWG and deliver long-term societal change. This was a key commitment in the VAWG Strategy and Domestic Abuse Plan.
The NAO has also identified that to achieve the Labour government’s ambition of halving VAWG, the Home Office must provide strong leadership to the rest of government and review existing evidence to develop its new strategy.
Harriet Wistrich, Director of the Centre for Women’s Justice, said:
“The report confirms what we see on the ground, very little evidence of meaningful progress in tackling VAWG within the criminal justice system with police and other agencies often failing to implement policies and initiatives designed at addressing systemic problems.
“If the current government are going to get anywhere near their ambition of halving VAWG within a decade, and make a difference to the lives of women and girls blighted by this national epidemic, then we need to see a great deal more than their disappointing start to date. If they have a realistic plan, it has been slow to start and their messaging is poor.”
ENDS