Delays and Criticism Surround UK VAWG Strategy Publication
A letter from MPs Karen Bradley, Sarah Owen and Andy Slaughter has criticised the repeated delays in publishing the UK's Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, which has now been postponed three times this year, with the most recent publication target set for autumn.
These delays have created uncertainty within the sector, with a lack of clarity around funding leading some organisations to close.
The Home Office has stated that the strategy will be published as soon as possible, aiming for it to be robust and practical, and noted that the original spring release date has been pushed back to autumn.
Labour's manifesto includes pledges to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, proposing measures such as specialist sexual-offences teams in every police force, fast-tracking rape cases through the courts, placing domestic-abuse experts in 999 control rooms, and teaching healthy relationships in schools.
The government emphasises the need for a cross-government transformational approach to halving VAWG, indicating that more time is needed to ensure the strategy is effective.
According to the Office for National Statistics, an estimated one in eight women were victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse, or stalking in the year to March 2025, representing the first combined prevalence figure for these crimes.
A National Audit Office (NAO) report found that three Conservative-era VAWG strategies since 2010 failed to improve outcomes for victims, with the proportion of women experiencing sexual assault rising during this period.
