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2023/4/9 15:36 Tackling violence against women and girls strategy launched - GOV.UK

Home Violence against women and girls

News story
Tackling violence against women and girls
strategy launched
Home Secretary Priti Patel has today published the
government’s new strategy to ensure women and girls are
safe everywhere - at home, online and on the streets.
From:
Home Office (/government/organisations/home-office)
Published
21 July 2021

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tackling-violence-against-women-and-girls-strategy-launched 1/7
 The strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-violence-
2023/4/9 15:36 Tackling violence against women and girls strategy launched - GOV.UK

against-women-and-girls-strategy) sets out a clear ambition to increase support

for victims and survivors, increase the number of perpetrators brought to
justice and reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls in the
long term.
The actions and commitments announced today mark the start of a radical
programme of change in the whole system’s response to these crimes. They
will further support the action already being taken to improve the criminal
justice response to rape, toughen sentences and protection for victims through
the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, as well as recruit 20,000 more
police officers to make our streets safer.
Following the tragic case of Sarah Everard in March and the subsequent public
conversation on the safety of women and girls, the Home Secretary reopened
the government’s call for evidence on tackling crimes that disproportionately
affect women. The Home Office received an unprecedented 160,000 further
responses over 2 weeks, taking the total to over 180,000 responses which
have helped shape the new strategy.
The government will continue to listen to the brave voices of victims, survivors
and the public to hear their views and opinions on tackling these crimes,
including through the creation of a new online tool ‘StreetSafe’.
This platform will build on the Safer Streets Fund and provide women and girls
with a way to anonymously and quickly pinpoint areas where they have felt
unsafe and say why – be it from a lack of lighting or CCTV or because of the
people around them – via a simple online platform. This information will
further build local intelligence and be used by police and crime commissioners
to work with local authorities and other stakeholders to improve community
safety and take more strategic action, including designing out crime. If a crime
is being committed people should dial 101 or 999.
While the strategy is focusing on long-term change, the government is also
taking immediate steps to improve safety for women and girls, focusing on
practical action to bolster physical safety in public spaces. This includes:
a new national policing lead on violence against women and girls who will
report into the Home Secretary-chaired National Policing Board – they will
also be the point of contact for every police force to ensure best practice is
shared and that progress on improving the response to these crimes is
being monitored
a review of options to limit use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of
sexual harassment in higher education
a £5 million ‘Safety of Women at Night’ Fund, in addition to the £25 million
Safer Streets Fund Round 3, that focuses on the prevention of violence
against women and girls in public spaces at night, including in the night-
time economy – this could include targeting parks and alleyways, and routes
from bars, restaurants and nightclubs as we see a return to the night-time
economy
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 criminalising virginity testing, which some women and girls are being forced
2023/4/9 15:36 Tackling violence against women and girls strategy launched - GOV.UK

to undergo, to send a clear message that this practice is wholly

unacceptable in our society
appointing 2 new Violence Against Women and Girls Transport Champions,
to drive forward positive change and tackle the problems faced by female
passengers on public transport
This follows on from further measures taken this year, including investing an
additional £25 million into the Safer Streets Fund focused on increasing the
safety of public spaces for all, with a particular focus on areas of concern for
women and girls
Home Secretary Priti Patel said:
“ The safety of women and girls across the country, wherever they are, is an
absolute priority for me.
“ It is unacceptable that women and girls are still subject to harassment,
abuse, and violence, and I do not accept that violence against women and
girls is inevitable.
“ I am determined to give the police the powers they need to crack down on
perpetrators and carry out their duties to protect the public whilst
providing victims with the care and support they deserve.
“ This strategy, shaped by the responses of those who bravely came forward
and shared their stories and experiences, will deliver real and lasting
change.”
Victim support
The strategy will increase support for victims and survivors, ensuring they have
access to services appropriate to their needs. These include the following
commitments:
an additional £1.5 million per annum in vital specialist support services for
those from minority groups and to increase our funding for helplines, such
as the Revenge Porn Helpline
the Ministry of Justice will commission a 24/7 rape and sexual assault
helpline
the Department for Education will develop additional support to help
teachers deliver the relationships, sex and health education curriculum
effectively and confidently and revise existing guidance
the Department for Transport has today announced that Urban Transport
Group Chair and Interim West Midlands Combine Authority CEO Laura Shoaf
and Transport for West Midlands Interim Managing Director Anne Shaw will
be VAWG Transport Champions, working closely with campaign groups,
industry and government to identify areas for improvement across the UK’s
transport network
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tackling-violence-against-women-and-girls-strategy-launched 3/7
 Prevention
2023/4/9 15:36 Tackling violence against women and girls strategy launched - GOV.UK

To prevent these crimes from happening in the first place:

the Department for Education will work with the Office for Students to
tackle sexual harassment and abuse in higher education (including
universities) and will review options to limit use of non-disclosure
agreements in cases of sexual harassment in higher education
the Department for Transport will tomorrow launch its call for evidence on
street design tomorrow, to seek views on how the government’s manual for
streets guidance can be updated to help ensure streets are planned with
women’s safety at the forefront of any considerations
the Home Office will invest in understanding ‘what works’ to prevent
violence against women and girls – this will enable us to identify the highest
quality, evidence-informed prevention projects: the department will provide
£1.5 million in funding for intervention programmes and £1.5 million for
evidence building - this will result in high quality, evidence-informed
prevention projects, for example which aim to educate and inform children
and young people about violence against women and girls, healthy
relationships and the consequences of abuse
Pursuing perpetrators
To pursue perpetrators and ensure they are facing the full force of the law:
the Home Office will appoint an independent reviewer to undertake a review
of the management of registered sex offenders by the police and will
provide new investment for the National Crime Agency to develop innovative
data capability to identify new methods of identifying serial sex offenders
the Home Office will launch a multi-million communications campaign with a
focus on targeting perpetrators and harmful misogynistic attitudes,
educating young people about healthy relationships and ensuring victims can
access support
Safeguarding Minister Victoria Atkins said:
“ I am proud that the United Kingdom is leading the way in combatting
violence against women and girls.
“ We know, however, there is more to do, which is why we have developed
positive and ambitious actions that will make a real difference in tackling
violence against women and girls.
“ I would like to thank everyone who came forward and responded to our
call for evidence, and organisations that work to tackle these crimes for
their continued engagement with the ground-breaking strategy.”
The call for evidence acknowledged that sexual harassment in public places is
all too common. It is not acceptable that women and girls do not feel safe on
our streets as a result of this behaviour. Yet we know that, while there is not a
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tackling-violence-against-women-and-girls-strategy-launched 4/7
 specific offence of street harassment, there are a number of offences in place
2023/4/9 15:36 Tackling violence against women and girls strategy launched - GOV.UK

which do capture the behaviour raised in the call for evidence, depending on
the specific circumstances (including offences under the Protection from
Harassment Act 1997, the Public Order Act 1986 and the Sexual Offences Act
2003).
However, the government is committed to ensuring not only that the laws are
there, but that they work in practice. For example, we know from the call for
evidence that women and girls may not report some forms of public sexual
harassment because they do not think that it is criminal behaviour, nor that it
will be taken seriously by the police. Our priority must be to ensure that victims
know they can report these crimes, and have confidence in the process for
doing so.
It is important that the police enforce the law properly and give women the
confidence that if they report an incident, it will be dealt with. We are looking
carefully at where there may be gaps in existing law and how a specific
offence for public sexual harassment could address those. This is a complex
area, and it is important that we take the time to ensure that any potential
legislation is proportionate and reasonably defined.
Independent Advisor for Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, Nimco Ali
said:
“ Crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls, many of which are
disguised under the labels of tradition and cultural practise, such as FGM
(female genital mutilation) and virginity testing, have no place in our
society.
“ To address these crimes and tackle violence against women and girls
across the board, government and society must look at the whole system.
“ The strategy aims to do just that, taking action through legislation and
education, and I hope will be the foundation on which we can build a safer
world for women and girls.”
Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said:
“ No woman should ever be made to feel unsafe on public transport which is
why we’ll be working with operators across all modes to address the
problems vulnerable passengers face.
“ I’m delighted that Laura Shoaf and Anne Shaw will be our new VAWG
Transport Champions. They bring a wealth of expertise and experience to
the role and I look forward to working with them as we help deliver real
change on the ground.
“ Our new call for evidence will also help give us the information we need to
help ensure streets are designed so that everyone, especially women, can
feel safe and confident using them.”
Children and Families Minister Vicky Ford said:
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 “ It is vital that girls and young women feel protected and confident, both
2023/4/9 15:36 Tackling violence against women and girls strategy launched - GOV.UK

inside and outside of school or college.

“ We are strengthening support for schools and colleges to help them
recognise and respond to sexual abuse and recently set up the Report
Abuse in Education NSPCC helpline so there is a dedicated route to raise
concerns. We will also be working alongside the Children’s Commissioner
to tackle online abuse and with the Office for Students to ensure all
students feel safe and able to report incidents of sexual harassment and
violence.”
Natasha Rattu, Executive Director of Karma Nirvana said:
“ Karma Nirvana are pleased to see the inclusion of tackling virginity testing
in the government’s violence against women and girls strategy. We
recognise virginity testing to be a form of violence against women and
girls, which is in itself, both cause and consequence of gender inequality.
This is the first VAWG strategy to acknowledge this harmful practice and
we look forward to working closely with the government in this important
progressive step.”
Sophie Mortimer, Revenge Porn Helpline Manager, SWGfL said:
“ We welcome the new violence against women and girls strategy and the
abuse it addresses. The abuse that women and girls face online is
significant. Since it opened in 2015, women account for nearly three
quarters of victims reaching out to our Revenge Porn Helpline - a vital
service that has now managed over 11,000 cases and removed over
200,000 intimate images. Every day we see the distress and impact that
this form of abuse has as 4% of those whom we support express suicidal
ideation. The COVID-19 pandemic has merely magnified this issue as
we’ve received more than a doubling of cases; a rate that shows no sign
of slowing.”
This strategy will be followed by a dedicated and complementary domestic
abuse strategy later this year. The domestic abuse strategy will also be
informed by the call for evidence and share the same strategic objectives as
this strategy.
Published 21 July 2021

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