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Combatting VAWG

Violence against women and girls has received more attention over the last year, with police forces and governments highlighting the issue and pledging to do more. Earlier this year, police warned of an epidemic of violence against women and girls and the new government has pledged to halve it in a decade.

According to End Violence Against Women and Girls, “Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is any form of violence disproportionately perpetrated by men against women and girls. It is deeply linked to women’s inequality and includes sexual violence, domestic abuse, stalking and harassment, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and so-called ‘honour-based’ abuse, exploitation and abuse of women and girls in online spaces.”

Back in July, police warned of an epidemic of violence against women and girls. 

A national policing statement, which brought together comprehensive data and analysis has revealed 3,000 offences are recorded every day.

Police recorded VAWG-related crime increased by 37 per cent between 2018 and 23. Over one million VAWG-related crimes were recorded during 2022/23, accounting for 20 per cent of all police recorded crime.

One in every six murders related to domestic abuse in 22/23, with suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse rising year-on-year.

Police leaders called for a whole-system approach that brings together criminal justice partners, government bodies and industry, in a new partnership that seeks to reduce the scale and impact of VAWG.

It is believed around 1 in 20 people are perpetrators of VAWG each year and evidence shows many of these perpetrators will have touch points with a number of agencies outside of policing through their life, presenting opportunities for intervention.  

Policing VAWG

Policing has now ensured that VAWG is officially classed as a national threat and a refreshed national framework has brought the police response to VAWG in line with counter-terrorism and serious and organised crime.

Policing has also now adopted the 4P approach from counter-terrorism policing for tackling VAWG. The 4Ps include: Prepare (forces must have the right culture, skills and resources); Protect (action is being taken to protect individuals, families and communities); Pursue (perpetrators of violence are being relentlessly pursued); and Prevent (policing must work with partners as part of a whole-system approach).

Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, deputy CEO of the College of Policing and NPCC lead for violence against women and girls, said: “We are absolutely determined to turn the tide on violence and abuse faced by women and girls and will continue to work tirelessly to do better for victims.

“Our focus will always be to bring the men behind these pervasive crimes to justice. By enhancing the way we use data and intelligence, we will improve our ability to identify, intercept and arrest those causing the most harm in communities.”

The analysis has identified five critical threats to women and girls: rape and serious sexual offences; domestic abuse; stalking and harassment; child sexual abuse and exploitation; and online and tech-enabled VAWG.

A new dedicated policing hub, the National Centre for Public Protection in the College of Policing, will support forces with specialist knowledge and training for investigators and officers, and lead on a national approach to preventative work with other agencies.

Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth continued: “Violence against women and girls is a national emergency. We need the support and direction of government to intervene and address the current problems within the criminal justice system and lead the way on a whole-system approach to VAWG.

“We aspire to a position where an effective criminal justice response to VAWG is the last resort. We need to move forward as a society to make change and no longer accept VAWG as inevitable.”  

Sophie Francis-Cansfield, head of external affairs at Women’s Aid, said: “While the findings of the National Polices Chiefs’ Council and College into the scale of violence against women and girls in this country are alarming, it is important to remember that many survivors will not report their experiences to the police, therefore we know the issue will be much larger than the data shows.

The new Labour government made a commitment in their manifesto to half VAWG in a decade.

While high-profile cases such as the murders of Sarah Everard, Zara Aleena and the Hunt family make the headlines, there are thousands of other events every week that do not make the news.

According to Rape Crisis England and Wales, 1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted since the age of 16. On average 1 in 30 women are raped or sexually assaulted every year. Police recorded 69,184 rapes between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. And as of 30 June 2024, charges had been brought in only 2.7 per cent of these cases. 5 in 6 women who are raped don’t report it, which means the scale of offending is much higher than the stats suggest and there’s a huge number of offenders who never face any consequences.

Statistics indicate that one in three adults who experience rape are assaulted in their own home. This highlights that enhancing security measures in public spaces alone is insufficient to address the issue. A broader cultural and societal shift is necessary to change the conditions that enable such incidents.

There have been protests in Northern Ireland, which was recently revealed to have the 3rd highest femicide rate in western Europe. At the time of writing, there have been 41 confirmed femicides in Northern Ireland since 2017, with 24 women killed since 2020. Over the Autumn, four women were killed over a six-week period.

Thousands of people attended a rally in Derry/Londonderry to oppose VAWG after two women were threatened with knives in the city over the space of a week.

Rape Culture

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a multifaceted issue that does not exist in isolation. It encompasses a broad spectrum of behaviours, ranging from overt acts such as sexual assault and homicide to more subtle actions that contribute to a broader culture often referred to as “rape culture.”

Rape culture describes a societal environment where sexual violence and abuse are normalised, minimised, or dismissed. 

Examples can include jokes about rape shared in private conversations, victim-blaming comments such as questioning a person’s clothing choices, or threats on social media platforms.

This concept is often illustrated by the “pyramid of sexual violence,” which suggests that casual sexism and misogynistic attitudes can create a foundation that supports increasingly severe forms of violence. For instance, workplace stereotypes and offensive humour may escalate to harassment, and, in extreme cases, to acts of physical violence such as sexual assault or murder.

In the news

Wayne Couzens, the former police officer who murdered Sarah Everard, was part of a WhatsApp group with colleagues that shared “grossly racist, sexist, and misogynistic” messages. The fact that members of the group worked for the police makes the challenge seem even more alarming.

When stories break about high-profile celebrities being accused of sexual abuse, it often comes to light that other people were aware, but for a variety of reasons, didn’t or couldn’t do anything about it.

The case of Gisèle Pelicot in France, shows us that abusers can be anyone. Madame Pelicot was raped by dozens of men from her community after being drugged by her ex-husband. 

Each time a new story hits the headlines, campaigners point out that these cases are not isolated, but exist within the realm where sexual assault, rape and VAWG are normalised.

According to the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, in the 24 hours following the US election, there was a 4,600 per cent increase in mentions of the phrases ‘your body, my choice’ and ‘get back in the kitchen’ on X.  Andrew Tate, who has over ten million followers on X, posted comments such as “Quiet hoe”, “The men are back in charge” and “You have to make me a sandwich” in response to posts expressing disappointment in the election outcome. 

Teachers have warned of a rise in misogynistic language in classrooms, directly linked to online influencers such as Andrew Tate. Last year, it was reported that there had been an increase in the number of cases being referred to Prevent by schools worried about Tate’s influence. Tate has been charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.

Advice aimed at addressing sexual assault frequently places the responsibility on women to safeguard themselves, with recommendations such as avoiding going out after dark, limiting alcohol consumption, or travelling in groups. One example that is often highlighted is that female students starting university are offered safety courses to protect themselves from sexual assault, but there are no courses offered to male counterparts to prevent them from sexually assaulting their peers.

Misogynistic terrorism

In the context of Counter Terrorism, VAWG can also occur on a larger scale. 

Perhaps the most well-known occurrence of misogynistic terrorism is the Isla Vista killings in 2014. Elliot Rodger killed six people leaving behind a 137-page manifesto, filled with misogynistic writings.

The police commissioner investigating the Bondi Junction attack earlier this year, said it was obvious the attacker had targeted women – 14 of the 16 people stabbed that day were women. This was not deemed a terror attack, and the motive remains unclear.

The man who killed five people in Plymouth in 2021, was part of incel communities online, where he expressed misogynistic views. 

The 2020 machete attack in Toronto is considered a misogynistic terror attack, with the attacker claiming to be a proud incel. The 2018 Toronto van attack is also believed to have a misogynistic motive, with the attacker also describing himself as an incel.

High-profile concerts, such as those by Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, have also been targeted in terrorist attacks. The demographic of attendees at such events has drawn attention, with the Manchester Arena Inquiry revealing that Salman Abedi, the attacker in the 2017 bombing, exhibited misogynistic attitudes during his time at college.

Tackling the issue

In August, the Scottish Government announced plans to address violence against women and girls.

The latest Equally Safe Delivery Plan is focussed on prevention of abuse across Scotland’s communities. 

It also recognises the higher risk of abuse that women and girls with learning disabilities face and aims to ensure that relevant educational settings are equipped to teach pupils about healthy relationships and improve access to support services.

Equalities minister Kaukab Stewart said: “Violence against women and girls is abhorrent and has no place in modern Scotland. Since 2021, frontline projects backed by our Delivering Equally Safe Fund have supported nearly 60,000 adults, children and young people, and we are determined to build on that progress.

“This plan sets out our sustained focus on prevention, improving support services and ensuring the justice response is robust.

“Gendered abuse can happen in any community and to ensure that it is tackled effectively and equitably for all women, we are strengthening our response to the diverse ways that violence and abuse can occur.

“That includes recognising that abusers could be extended family members rather than partners - like in some cases of honour-based violence - and ensuring tailored support is provided for vulnerable groups, including women with learning disabilities and migrants.”

The plan has been developed in partnership with The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).

Around the same time, home secretary Yvette Cooper ordered a review of the counter extremism strategy, considering tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the same way as Islamist and far-right extremism.

The change would mean that teachers, healthcare professionals and local authority staff will be legally required to refer pupils they suspect of extreme misogyny to Prevent.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “For too long, Governments have failed to address the rise in extremism, both online and on our streets, and we’ve seen the number of young people radicalised online grow. Hateful incitement of all kinds fractures and frays the very fabric of our communities and our democracy.”

In September, the government set out new measures intended to aid the police’s fight against violence against women and girls.

As part of the government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade, domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in 999 control rooms.

Last year, on average, almost 100 domestic-abuse-related offences were recorded by the police every hour.

The measures will form part of ‘Raneem’s Law’, which is named after Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018. 13 reports were made to the police about concerns for Raneem’s safety, with no arrests made. On the night of her murder, Raneem called 999 four times.

A pilot will be rolled out across targeted police forces from early 2025, with specialists embedded in control rooms to advise on risk assessments and work with officers on the ground, to ensure that victims get a fast response when needed and are referred to support services as quickly as possible.

The specialists will be supported by dedicated teams to improve how the police respond to these kinds of calls, including using new technology to respond more quickly such as rapid video response.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Victims of appalling domestic abuse need to know that the police will be there for them.” Furthermore, from November, through the launch of the new domestic abuse protection order pilot, more domestic abusers will be forced to stay away from their victims and face tougher sanctions if they fail to do so.

It will be a legal requirement for perpetrators to inform the police of any change in name or address, imposing electronic tagging, and ordering assessments for behaviour change programmes.

The orders will cover all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Domestic Abuse, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, said: “Domestic abuse is a complex and entrenched societal problem that can inflict life-long harm on victims and families, and accounts for a significant proportion of police-recorded crime.”

The government has also announced a new national strategy to use advanced data analysis and algorithms to target the most dangerous perpetrators of violence against women and girls.

Police forces will use new data-driven tools to focus on the small number of offenders responsible for the highest levels of harm.

The tools use computer programmes to bring together and analyse a range of police data to identify and pursue offenders involved in domestic abuse, sexual assault, harassment, and stalking. They will be used alongside police officers’ expert judgment, will help law enforcement prioritise and pursue the most dangerous offenders, and therefore enable a more effective allocation of police resources.

Working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), and the College of Policing, the home secretary will oversee the development of a new national approach to the use of the tools.

The technology will also assist in building risk profiles for both perpetrators and victims, enabling law enforcement and partner agencies to implement robust management plans that disrupt offenders’ behaviour and enhance victim safety.

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