Violence against women and girls growing, says watchdog

The Home Office's response to the "serious and growing problem" of violence against women and girls (VAWG) has been ineffective, the UK's spending watchdog has said.

In a report published on Friday, the National Audit Office (NAO) said the department had "not led an effective whole-system response" to the rising incidence of rape and sexual assault recorded by police.

Its efforts as the lead on the government's response to VAWG have so far "not improved outcomes" for victims, the report found.

A Home Office spokesperson said the report had looked at the previous government's "failure to deliver systemic change", and that Labour was "delivering a step-change in the government's response".

The report noted that three separate strategies aimed at reducing VAWG have been published since 2010, when the Conservative party began its 14 years in power.

But the NAO said its own analysis of Office for National Statistics data showed the percentage of women aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales to have suffered a sexual assault was estimated to be 4.3% in 2023-24, up from 3.4% in 2009-10.

It said incidents of rape and sexual assault recorded by police had increased almost fourfold during the same period, from 34,000 to 123,000 - but cautioned that this could be partially explained by improved recording of these crimes.

The NAO also found "little evidence" that the Home Office had improved on earlier strategies, while the department and the wider government had "a poor understanding of what works to prevent and tackle VAWG".

The report added that as part of the 2021 strategy, at least £4.2m had been spent on research into preventing VAWG, but the projects it funded were "yet to provide insights to inform any future interventions".

The report noted that "low charge rate and long wait times" contributed to a considerable number of rape victims dropping out before cases reached a conviction.

Meanwhile, only a minority of domestic abuse cases recorded by police led to charges, the NAO said.

In 2021, under the previous Conservative government, the department created a dedicated team to lead VAWG strategy.

The NAO said the Home Office "found it challenging to get buy-in from other government departments" and had a "limited understanding" of the extent of resources devoted to addressing VAWG across government.

Its dedicated team did not meet until a year after the launch, the NAO found, and had only met four times in total.

The Home Office "does not know what effect the government's work is having on VAWG", the report said.

The NAO said: "Government's efforts to tackle violence against women and girls have not yet improved outcomes for the victims of these crimes.

"The lack of an effective, cross-government approach and a limited understanding of what works to help reduce these crimes, means the Home Office cannot be confident that government is doing the best it can to keep women and girls safe."

While in opposition, Labour pledged to halve VAWG in a decade.

The report said the new government had set an "ambitious target", but that to meet it the Home Office would need to "lead a coordinated, whole-system response that addresses the causes of VAWG".

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: "The lack of attention to prevention is deplorable, especially as we know VAWG is significantly under-reported."

But she added that the strategy's "worth" could not "be determined solely on a value-for-money basis".

"The harms of VAWG are so significant and far-reaching that the societal importance of addressing it must be recognised," Ms Simon said.

Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge, said the report's findings "come as no surprise".

"We know all too well VAWG is horrifically common," she added.

"And yet, 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."