More than 50 organisations working to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) have called for reassurance after Labour came to power vowing to tackle the crisis
More than 50 organisations working to end violence against women have demanded answers on how the Government will live up to its election promises.
Experts have voiced their frustration that a long-awaited violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy has yet to be published, over a year after Labour came to power. In July last year Keir Starmer entered No10 vowing to halve VAWG within a decade.
But campaigners say a funding crisis for support groups and a growing focus on scapegoating migrants has sparked alarm. Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), told The Mirror: “The last few weeks have once again seen violence against women and girls dominate the headlines, as political leaders have wrongly and alarmingly scapegoated migrants for this abuse instead of addressing its root causes.
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“We call on politicians to show leadership in standing against this and focusing on the issues that need attention: addressing the funding crisis for life-saving support services and investing in work to prevent violence and abuse.”
The groups said the strategy, which will be published this month, must adopt a public health approach by investing in education and awareness campaigns to shift behaviour. And they said the Government response to the VAWG epidemic must include a plan to fund specialist services following warnings refuges are having to turn away domestic abuse victims.
This should include ring-fenced funding for marginalised groups, the organisations said. They also called for every Government department to have a role in tackling VAWG.
And leaders said the strategy must reflect differences between different groups, and must include all women and girls without discrimination. The groups warn Black and minoritised, migrant and asylum-seeking, disabled and LGBT+ survivors are disproportionately subjected violence and must have access to support and justice.
Ciara Bergman, chief executive of Rape Crisis England & Wales, said: “Prevention and intervention begin with the provision of services like Rape Crisis Centres, without whom survivors would very often have nowhere to go, to talk about what has happened and begin the process of recovery.
“Without these life changing services, we cannot hope to see justice, nor can we hope to meet the needs of the thousands of women and girls who each year endure these crimes.”
And Ghadah Alnasseri, executive director of Imkaan, which is dedicated to tackling violence against Black and minority ethnic women and girls, said marginalised groups are too often overlooked.
She said: “Survivors, and the specialist Black and minoritised ‘by and for’ services that stand alongside them, need urgent reassurance that the government remains committed to a comprehensive and inclusive approach that leaves no one behind.
“These organisations are not optional extras – they trusted specialist lifelines that reduce barriers and make equal access to safety possible.” She said a strong strategy would be a “lifeline”, adding: “Without it, marginalised women and girls survivors remain at risk, and progress towards safety, equity, and justice is put in jeopardy.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. We will deliver a first-of-its-kind, cross-government strategy which will set out concrete action to pursue perpetrators, support victims and prevent these crimes from happening in the first place.
“We are currently finalising the strategy, working across government, ahead of publication soon.”
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