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A report by the UK’s spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), has found that the Home Office has not led an effective whole-system response to the “serious and growing problem” of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the country. The department, which is the lead on the government’s response to VAWG, has failed to improve outcomes for victims, the report found. Three separate strategies aimed at reducing VAWG have been published since 2010, but the percentage of women aged 16 to 59 estimated to have suffered a sexual assault rose from 3.4% in 2009-10 to 4.3% in 2023-24, according to NAO analysis of Office for National Statistics data.
Rape and sexual assault recorded by police have increased almost four-fold during the same period, from 34,000 to 123,000, though this could be partially explained by improved recording of these crimes. The report noted “low charge rates and long wait times” have contributed to many rape victims dropping out before cases reach conviction and warned that only a minority of domestic abuse cases recorded by police have led to charges.
The report found “little evidence” that the Home Office had improved on earlier strategies, while its dedicated team set up in 2021 to lead VAWG strategy had only met four times. The department and the wider government had “a poor understanding of what works to prevent and tackle VAWG”. The report said the Home Office “does not know what effect the government’s work is having on VAWG”.
Labour pledged to halve VAWG in a decade while in opposition, and the new government has set an “ambitious target,” according to the report. However, to meet it, the Home Office would need to “lead a coordinated, whole-system response that addresses the causes of VAWG”. The report’s findings “come as no surprise,” said Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge, an NGO. Confidence in the justice system is at an all-time low, and every day survivors continue to be failed, which is having devastating and at times, fatal consequences,” she added
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