The UK Government looks to get a grip on tackling violence against women and girls.

(Warning. This article covers sensitive and disturbing issues that you may find distressing. Please take full responsibility for your own wellbeing.)

The Government is putting finishing touches to a soon-to-be published and highly anticipated new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy setting out to meet its bold 2024 manifesto pledge to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

It was high on the agenda at this year's annual Labour Party Conference held in and around ACC Liverpool for the fourth consecutive year – due back for a fifth in autumn 2026. How best to tackle and beat the reality of VAWG was tirelessly discussed at conference fringe meetings, day and night. Interested parties across the sector: politicians, associated VAWG stakeholders, charities, organizations, supportive banks and businesses, plus brave individuals and other activists - passionately shared their knowledge, ideas and experiences. There was a plethora of leaflets and informative literature around the Mersey waterfront venue too - all aimed at ultimately influencing key policymakers and legislators with various VAWG strategy wish lists. Meanwhile, some politicians shared their plans for it. 

As many as 8 in 10 women think the government should do more to tackle violence against women and girls

‘End Violence Against Women and Girls’, who were there, has reported that as many as 8 in 10 women think the government should do more to tackle violence against women and girls.

It set out its five key tests for the new VAWG Strategy: a focus on prevention (instead of criminal justice alone); to address all forms of VAWG in an integrated way; to include all women and girls without discrimination; to sustainably fund specialist support services and to have accountability across government departments. They would also like to see quality relationships and sex education for young people and stronger regulation of online platforms.

Labour appears to welcome and take such views and input onboard and since they came into power in July 2024, steps towards stamping out violence against women and girls have already gained traction. Not least of all, no wonder, because it is costing them – and us – an absolute fortune.

In November 2025, just weeks after the Conference ended in October, more protection for women and girls was boosted with new amendments on online abuse and pornography tabled to the Crime and Policing Bill – a key part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Amongst other things, this amendment means that the depiction of strangulation in pornography – a growing online trend - will be designated as a priority offence under the Online Safety Act and platforms will be held accountable, ensuring content does not spread which is believed to lead to normalising harmful practices in people’s private lives. 

The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) is a new set of laws that protects children and adults online

The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) is a new set of laws that protects children and adults online and the strongest protections in the Act have been designed with children at its heart. The Act requires platforms to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal online content - which disproportionately affects women and girls - such as harassment, stalking, controlling or coercive behaviour, extreme pornography and intimate image abuse.

Meanwhile, it was shocking to learn at conference that some small children, perhaps as young as five, are believed to be ‘addicted to’ watching online pornography.

Also in November 2025, with its momentum, the Government announced a new law to tackle AI (Artificial Intelligence) child abuse at source as it sets out to work with the AI industry and child protection organizations regarding the creation of synthetic child sexual abuse images. This comes as Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) data indicates AI-generated child sexual abuse material has more than doubled in the past year with AI 'reports actioned' with them rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025 (data compares January to October 2024 and, likewise, in 2025,). Gender analysis shows girls remain overwhelmingly targeted, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025.

Earlier this year, in May 2025, Minister Jess Phillips, since July 2024 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls) welcomed a £20 million life-saving boost to support vital investment in VAWG specialist services that help victims, some mothers with children, escape abuse. This includes charities, such as Refuge who run the National Domestic Abuse help line, Hourglass (for older victims), SignHealth (for deaf victims), Galop (for LBGT+), The Suzy Lamplugh Trust (for stalking), Karma Nirvana (for Honour Based Abuse) and Respect with £5.3 million of the funding going to services supporting children affected by domestic abuse. 

Jess Phillips said: It’s about smashing down barriers and making sure every single person facing abuse has somewhere to turn

Jess Phillips said: ‘It’s about smashing down barriers and making sure every single person facing abuse has somewhere to turn when they make the brave decision to seek help…especially those from marginalized communities who face significant additional hurdles.’

Another measure in place is an initiative launched in February this year to embed domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms backed up by fast responses involving a dedicated team of not only officers on the ground, but support services and new technology.

It is part of a programme relating to what is now known as Raneem’s Law. Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother, Khaola Saleem, 49, were murdered by Ms Oudeh’s ex partner, Janbaz Tarin – after Raneem had made over a dozen 999 calls for help that never came in the run up to the fatal attack. Raneem had reported domestic abuse, violence and stalking and escalating threats to stab and kill her. On the night both women were murdered, in August 2018, Raneem is said to have rung 999 four times - terrified for her life – only to be tragically, fatally, let down.

Sue Harper, director of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Prevention at Hestia, the life beyond crisis charity, welcomes the initiative as ‘a strong starting point.’

‘But real change requires multi-agency commitment, including police, social services, healthcare, and housing authorities, all working together with clear, shared accountability. Improved information sharing, stronger safeguarding measures, and consistent training across agencies are crucial,’ she adds.

When it was launched Jess Phillips, who is also MP for her native Birmingham Yardley, said: ‘Behind every 999 call is someone’s daughter, mother, sister or friend in fear.  That’s why getting the response right first time, every time, is crucial…we are determined… and won’t stop until every victim, up and down the country, gets the protection they deserve.’

Whenever and wherever the Minister speaks, it is clear Jess Phillips is a uniquely-placed expert both at grass roots – regularly speaking with countless abused and frightened women for years - and also at the ‘high end’ – being incredibly knowledgeable on the academic and state-of-the-art research side of VAWG - not just the political agenda, but its horrendous statistics (such as with ‘Counting Dead Women’ men’s fatal violence against women  - the running tally for 2025 being, at the time of going to press in mid-November 2025,  at least 51 women and girls in the UK). 

1 in 4 women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime

These are some statistics from Refuge's website:

'FACT: The police receive a domestic abuse-related call every 30 seconds. Yet it is estimated that less than 24% of domestic abuse crime is reported to police. FACT: On average, one woman is killed by an abusive partner or ex every five days in England and Wales. (*Some other research says every three days across the UK) FACT: 1 in 4 women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime. Domestic abuse feels incredibly isolating, but the numbers tell a different story: you are not alone.’

(*Femicide Census).

Anyone experiencing daily life far removed from domestic bliss, might well be in serious danger of harm - around one in five homicides are domestic. That is to say, the vast majority of women were killed in their own home.

Tackling VAWG and the consequences of these men violating women does not come cheap.  It costs the government around £66 billion per year according to the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ). That is three times bigger than the famous fiscal £20 billion 'Black Hole' that gets blamed for everything!

Other estimates from June 2025, says the Women's Budget Group, puts the lifetime economic cost associated with sexual violence and abuse against children and adults perpetrated in one year at over £400 billion in England and Wales. That is staggering.

This researched calculation reflects the wide-ranging costs to society, including health and social care services; the criminal justice system (policing, courts, imprisonment and probation); specialist sexual violence support services; economic losses through reduced productivity and long-term impacts on survivors' quality of life.

Ironically, maybe the miserable men who take things out on women might have a better life themselves if they would only knock it off and stop knocking six bells out of women and go do something else. Look at the pain, concern and trouble they are causing - at all levels. 

The Victims’ Commissioner has now outlined six foundational principles in ‘Halving VAWG in 10 years’

The Victims’ Commissioner has now outlined six foundational principles in ‘Halving VAWG in 10 years: the principles that must underpin the Strategy’ and concludes that, to succeed, as a credible and lasting strategy, it must be genuinely cross-governmental and fully intersectional – tackling VAWG in all its forms, whether online and offline – with no perceived hierarchy of abuse or harm.

Furthermore, it asserts the new strategy must ensure a criminal justice system that is capable, resourced and responsive to victims' needs and rooted in accurate data, driven by measurable outcomes, and underpinned by long-term, sustainable funding for specialist victim support. 'Without these core elements in place, the Government's ambition is likely to remains just that – an ambition, rather than a reality.'

Whatever the lobbying and hotel bar whisperings, the general consensus at conference was that there is no magic wand when it comes to drastically reducing VAWG - and within a bold, tangible and somewhat measured time frame too. The will only gets you so far without finding the right way.

Since 2010, the Home Office has already published several VAWG strategies, and the National Audit Office (NAO) published a report in January 2025 questioning the effectiveness of the VAWG strategies issued by previous governments and has made its own recommendations for what a new strategy could include to be more effective than those previous strategies. 

The NAO found that violence against women and girls is getting worse

The NAO found that violence against women and girls is getting worse. It is a serious, growing problem - with 1 in 12 women, at least, being victims of VAWG related offences every year.

It also states the very definition of 'violence against women and girls' can vary, with the government defining it as 'acts of violence or abuse that we know disproportionately affects women and girls.' That covers crime including rape and other sexual offences, stalking, domestic abuse, ‘honour'- based abuse (including female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and ‘honour’ killings), ‘revenge porn’ and ‘upskirting’.

Other people, including men, can also experience abuse or violence from women, and not all men abuse others, of course. The term ‘victim’ is interchangeable with ‘survivor’ or ‘target.’ However, for the purposes of this piece, generally acceptable VAWG terminology is used. Notably, however you couch it, most domestic abuse remains hidden anyway – going unreported by those abused behind closed doors and the cowardly bullies getting away with it.

Perhaps abuse towards often defenceless women by some men can be looked at along a continuum that few females, whatever their situation, background, class or ethnicity, totally escape the tightrope of navigating during their lifetime. At one end, in no particular order: a comment, stare or unwanted touch in the street, school, Uni, or work; grooming and child sexual exploitation (CSE); through spiking; flashing; rape; psychological/emotional  'gaslighting' abuse; manipulative and controlling behaviour; physical assault; revenge or extreme pornography; modern slavery; intimidation; trafficking; forced marriage, to being murdered by a partner, ex or family member at the other end – with a rolling stone of ever increasing misogynistic cruelty along the way.

It is hard to drill down through that lot to think in terms of any 'Women's Rights' at all. 

At least one woman per week is killed by a current or former male partner

Women’s Aid, where Jess Phillips previously worked herself, holds the largest national data set on domestic abuse and presents harrowing figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2023) in that at least one woman per week is killed by a current or former male partner; around one in four women (27%) have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16 and in 33% of cases of partner abuse, there was at least one child under the age of 16 years living in the household.

As a federation of 183 organizations, Women's Aid provides over 300 local lifesaving services across England – with expert training, National Quality Standards, qualifications and consultancy – and also highlights the economic and social costs of domestic abuse. In England in 2022, they were just under £78 billion, it says, and On Track national data showed that in 2022-23, over 61% of service users had children.

One of the topics at last year's Labour Party Conference was what happens to the kids of mothers murdered by their dad, or ex. This might even be in front of them. Think on that.

At a session at conference entitled ‘Women and Girls versus Big Tech? Ending online violence against women and girls. (More in Common and End Violence Against Women Coalition.)’, the panel of experts discussed the pros and cons – the dangers - of the internet, social media and online platforms.

Co-chair, Sophie Stowers, research manager at More in Common, questioned Jess Phillips on the ever-changing internet, social media and online platforms and what can we expect to see in the VAWG strategy in terms of ‘Big Tech’ and online abuse. Jess Phillips commented that she thinks it has changed beyond recognition, adding: 'There has been a policy failure over the last decade in seeing the falling age of the perpetration of abuses and violence against women and girls.'

Moreover, there were aspects she did not see coming.

'The statistic that keeps me awake at night is that - of those whose children’s age we know over half, 53%, of all child sexual abuse is perpetrated by somebody of the average age of 14. So, in terms of, the changing landscape of the perpetration and how you deal with that, both around the world and here, maybe the tech companies could use some of their “Mega Money” to have invested in what they thought loads and loads of generations of young men watching endless images of women being strangled was going to do.’

‘There is no real violence against women and girls now that doesn’t have a tech element to it of some variety or another. So how you make services and tech instruments better, by design, better for women and girls...is you have to challenge the tech’, she said.

She revealed she is not a fan of doorbell cameras or tech to monitor comings and goings and outdoor movement that can lead to abuse and stalking.

‘But what are the solutions are have not been invested in, by either governments around the world, and / or those massive tech companies. There has been quite a lot of investment over the years really specifically on child sex abuse materials and so there are quite good systems of both detection and action and a massive increase in charge and conviction in child sex abuse materials because it leaves a trail. But the other areas have not kept pace. So, what the solutions are, I do not know. The best I can commit to in a strategy is to find them and then invest in them’ 

Why should cash strapped governments be having to fund the harm?

Using her way with words, she adds: ‘But also: “Polluter Pays” in my view! Why should cash strapped governments be having to fund the harm? Why on earth is it that big tech shouldn’t be paying for this, frankly, is my view on this matter? If I had all the money in the world, I would be using it to find out what the solutions were and not to make money off peoples’ harm.’ There is loud applause as she ends.

According to the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse, 47% of those experiencing domestic abuse say their perpetrator turned up at their workplace or stalked them outside their place of work.

Unite, the union, also at conference, assert having a zero tolerance policy to sexual harassment at work and that a safe workplace is everyone’s right. They say whilst not perfect, new legislation was passed in October 2024 to address third-party harassment too - aiming to protect employees from sexual pressure and harassment at work. These changes reinforce employers’ obligations to ensure a safe and respectful workplace, even when the harassing individual is not under their direct control.

Key elements in that includes expanded employer responsibility; clear reporting mechanisms; training and awareness; obligation to investigate – employers are mandated to investigate all claims of third-party harassment thoroughly; taking appropriate disciplinary or preventative actions and communicating the consequences of any third-party harassment – such as Zero Tolerance signs and communications on terminating attendance/contracts on third parties who perpetuate sexual harassment.

Unite states that according to the 2024 NHS staff survey, 8.67 % of NHS staff said they had experienced unwanted sexual behaviour from patients, service users or the public. Without guidelines and regulation, unsafe, undermining incidents of abuse happen – some bordering on the ridiculous, which many women will knowingly roll their eyes at.

To illustrate the point, they cite an example in hospitality of an obsessive regular trying to grab a young woman, a union member, behind the bar one evening after multiple warnings leading up to this harmful escalation – where she had been told to avoid him rather than him being told his behaviour was unacceptable and asking him to leave for good.

Another union member, they report, in retail, was deliberately touched inappropriately by a customer whilst stacking shelves, ‘She shouted and confronted the man to prevent this continuing only to find he complained to the store manager and received a discount on his shopping.’

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has described economic abuse, a form of domestic abuse, as a 'national emergency'

In a survey by Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) and Ipsos UK (November 2024), in the previous year alone, 4.1 million women in the UK had their money and belongings controlled by an abusive partner or ex-partner, trapping them in dangerous situations and making it impossible for them to rebuild their lives - even long after separation.

SEA is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it

SEA is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it.  Their life-saving work is informed by the lived experiences of economic abuse victim-survivors.

Meanwhile the debt charity StepChange’s ‘Too close to home’ report (March 2025) estimates that 1.6 million people in the UK have experienced coerced debt in the last 12 months. Coerced debt is when an abuser creates debt in a victim-survivor’s name through fraud, misinformation, force, or other forms of economic control that force a victim-survivor to rely on credit.

StepChange, as the UK’s largest provider of debt advice and solutions, offers free, expert debt help and advice to individuals struggling financially – over 170,000 clients completed their first debt session last year.  It produced ‘Surviving Economic Abuse’ (July 2025) Counting the Cost report: The Scale and Impact of Economic Abuse in the UK, asserting that one in four victim-survivors had their credit score damaged by their abuser coercing them into debt or stopping them from making repayments.

The debt charity is calling on the Government to include Financial Inclusion strategies in its upcoming VAWG strategy, amongst other things, with commitments to make coerced debt write-off standard practice, and make debt collection enforcement processes fair across the public and private sectors whilst promoting the Economic Abuse Evidence Form (EAEF) – devised by Money Advice Plus and piloted with SEA - and more.

Unfortunately, there are inevitably horrific consequences when a woman, perhaps a mother with a child or children, is not able to get a safe distance away from a violent man. She has no means to escape without money. Women are dying.

Kate Osiadacz, Head of Responsible Business at TSB spoke on the panel at a fringe meeting entitled ‘How Can Business Support the Government to Halve Violence Against Women and Girls in a Decade (New Statesman and TSB)'. She said, ‘I’m really proud to work in the financial services industry because, as an industry, as we have done a lot to lean in to support victim-survivors, but we don’t have that lived experience, so we can make decisions on processes and systems, but we’re not survivor-informed.’ In order to overcome this, she says working with Sam Smethers, CEO of Surviving Economic Abuse and Farah Nazeer, CEO of Women’s Aid – both also on the panel at the event – helped in putting together something that will actually provide practical help for women escaping abuse. 

TSB now has the TSB Emergency Flee Fund, launched in December 2022, which provides customers who are survivors with £50-£500 to escape their abuser

TSB now has the TSB Emergency Flee Fund, launched in December 2022, which provides customers who are survivors with £50-£500 to escape their abuser – assisting with the cost of essentials, such as travel, clothing and toiletries. The bank also has specially trained branch staff. (To find out more, please contact: governmentaffairs@tsb.co.uk). Resources can also be accessed from the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse at: www.eida.org.uk.

This year’s annual inspirational 'Rally Against Violence Towards Women And Girls (The House supported by Lloyds Banking Group)' landmark event was held, traditionally, the night before the last day of conference.

Jess Phillips usually hosts the always-crowded room acting as half compere-host, half comedian - perhaps to help sprinkle some lightness as we hear the darkest of true stories. They often detail excessively brutal murders and devastating losses of loved ones. A touch of knowing lightness makes it more tolerable for even the long-initiated staff from charities, support services and organisations to hear as brave guest speakers share their moving accounts, sometimes with Jess’s encouraging arm over their shoulder, giving them the courage and dignity to share what they have lived through - so that things might change.

This time, in Jess’s absence, Alex Davies-Jones MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice introduced the speakers and commented: ‘It is clear that tackling gendered violence is something that we have to look at from all angles. This is not just a criminal justice response. This isn’t just something that I, in the Ministry of Justice, or my incredible colleague and co-partner in this, Jess Phillips, can do in the Home Office. It’s every single government department coming together saying enough is enough - backing it up, finally, with action. ‘

‘Shortly we will be publishing our Violence Against Women and Girls strategy. It's something we have been working on since we got into power, because we recognise the urgency.’

What we need to do is make it deliverable, funded, realistic and it’s actually going to do what we need it to achieve rather than simply creating policy and legislation

She continues: ‘What we need to do is make it deliverable, funded, realistic and it’s actually going to do what we need it to achieve rather than simply creating policy and legislation in government departments in Whitehall because, for far too long, that is all that’s been done.  We actually need it to "do". Since we have been in power: we have introduced the Victims and Courts Bill to strengthen victim protection; we’re renewing the curriculum – issuing protection and prevention, as education is at the heart of this; we are forcing perpetrators to attend their sentencing hearings; cracking down on tagging to keep communities safer; introducing domestic abuse protection orders and… I could go on and on. The list is impressive, but sadly, it is just the start. There are many hurdles as we work. But I think we can all agree, and pity, anyone or anything that gets between Jess Phillips and I from reaching our goal!’

She went on to introduce a long list of speakers including Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, and several others - importantly, including those brave speakers sharing their personal harrowing stories.

Ending VAWG is not a problem of women

Farah Nazeer, CEO of Women’s Aid, the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children, was quick to make the point that ending VAWG is not a problem of women it is a problem of men, and she welcomed the enlightened men in the room – which included Brendan Cox, the husband of the late Jo Cox, the MP who was murdered in June 2016. He remarried in July 2023 to domestic violence campaigner, consultant and director of ‘Killed Women’ Anna Ryder, who were both there with their baby coo-ing occasionally in the background – a poignant symbol perhaps of hope, innocence and renewal.

Farah spoke of her organization's life-saving services, going on ‘day in, day out', without which, she said, 'We would lose so many more women and children to harm and devastation. Every day a woman is harmed because of domestic abuse. Every week a woman is murdered by a current or former partner. We know 1 in 4 women above the age of 16 will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. We know in the last nine years alone, 19 children have been killed in preventable circumstances by a parent who was also a perpetrator of domestic abuse. This totals 67 children since we started reporting on this. Behind all these shocking statistics are lives of women and children predominantly – who are destroyed and lost.’

A lighter evening event at the Labour Party Conference was 'Cat Chat Over Cocktails' run by the campaigning, leading UK charity Cats Protection (www.cats.org.uk - lots for fur baby fans there!). It was as impossibly irresistible as ‘just one more’ cat video! There was a prize-winning Wall of Fame of feline photos submitted by cat owners in attendance and a fun quiz entitled: 'How well do you know cats?’  Q:  How many owned cats are there in the UK? a) b) or c) A: It’s b) 10.2 million! Cats need and deserve a warm, safe home and sustained sanctuary too. We all do – and it is surely not too much to ask.

National Domestic Abuse: 24-hour helpline 0808 2000 247.  Live chat Mon-Fri 10am-10pm. 10am-6pm on weekends.

Victim Support: 24-hour Supportline 0808 168 9111

StepChange: 0800 138 111 Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm.

The Samaritans: 116 123 (free from any phone, any time)

by Susan Wallace                                                                                       © Susan Wallace