Incidence of violence towards women in the UK on the rise, says watchdog
The National Audit Office has reported that the UK's initiatives to combat violence against females have not succeeded in enhancing outcomes for victims. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Efforts to tackle violence against women and girls have been deemed inadequate, according to a report by the National Audit Office.
The UK authorities’ attempts to confront this growing issue have not yielded positive outcomes for victims, the report indicates. The Home Office has been criticized for failing to provide “an effective whole-system response” to the increasing incidents of rape and sexual assault reported by police.
The National Audit Office's review of the government's 2021 strategy on violence against women and girls concludes that these initiatives have not only fallen short of assisting victims but have also failed to bring about lasting societal change.
“Over one in four women are estimated to be victims of sexual assault or attempted assault in their lifetime, and one in 12 women are victims of VAWG each year, although the actual number is likely to be much higher,” the report highlights.
The analysis found that various UK government departments tasked with tackling violence against women lacked adequate control over budget allocations and a clear assessment of policy effectiveness.
The report points out that the Home Office has earmarked £57 million for 2024-25 to combat violence against women and girls, which includes domestic abuse. It emphasizes that 13 departments and other agencies have formally committed to addressing these challenges under the VAWG Strategy and the Domestic Abuse Plan.
Both strategies were launched in response to several high-profile cases of women and girls who suffered fatal violence at the hands of abusers in 2021 and 2022.
The NAO report also noted that a ministerial oversight group, which was supposed to coordinate cross-government efforts for effective strategy implementation, “only met four times in three years.”
The prevalence of sexual assault among women aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales increased to 4.3% in 2023-24, compared to 3.4% in 2009-10. During the same period, police-recorded incidents of rape and sexual assault against women and girls rose dramatically from 34,000 to 123,000, with the NAO recognizing that part of this uptick may stem from better crime recording practices.
A spokesperson for the Home Office commented to Sky News that the NAO report addressed the “previous government’s work” and its “failure to deliver systemic change to deal with these devastating crimes.” The spokesperson added, “We are delivering a step-change in the government’s response, as we work to deliver our unprecedented manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
The UK authorities’ attempts to confront this growing issue have not yielded positive outcomes for victims, the report indicates. The Home Office has been criticized for failing to provide “an effective whole-system response” to the increasing incidents of rape and sexual assault reported by police.
The National Audit Office's review of the government's 2021 strategy on violence against women and girls concludes that these initiatives have not only fallen short of assisting victims but have also failed to bring about lasting societal change.
“Over one in four women are estimated to be victims of sexual assault or attempted assault in their lifetime, and one in 12 women are victims of VAWG each year, although the actual number is likely to be much higher,” the report highlights.
The analysis found that various UK government departments tasked with tackling violence against women lacked adequate control over budget allocations and a clear assessment of policy effectiveness.
The report points out that the Home Office has earmarked £57 million for 2024-25 to combat violence against women and girls, which includes domestic abuse. It emphasizes that 13 departments and other agencies have formally committed to addressing these challenges under the VAWG Strategy and the Domestic Abuse Plan.
Both strategies were launched in response to several high-profile cases of women and girls who suffered fatal violence at the hands of abusers in 2021 and 2022.
The NAO report also noted that a ministerial oversight group, which was supposed to coordinate cross-government efforts for effective strategy implementation, “only met four times in three years.”
The prevalence of sexual assault among women aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales increased to 4.3% in 2023-24, compared to 3.4% in 2009-10. During the same period, police-recorded incidents of rape and sexual assault against women and girls rose dramatically from 34,000 to 123,000, with the NAO recognizing that part of this uptick may stem from better crime recording practices.
A spokesperson for the Home Office commented to Sky News that the NAO report addressed the “previous government’s work” and its “failure to deliver systemic change to deal with these devastating crimes.” The spokesperson added, “We are delivering a step-change in the government’s response, as we work to deliver our unprecedented manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
