MPs say UK Government is ‘oblivious’ to the scale of violence against women

The UK Government appears to be “oblivious” to the true scale of harm caused by violence against women and girls – and is being outpaced in its efforts to tackle it, MPs have warned.

Whitehall departments also lack an understanding of the level of support operating at a local level, the cross-party Public Accounts Committee said as it called for an end to uncertainty over dedicated funding for grassroots initiatives struggling with rising demand.

The committee heard evidence that refuges are forced to turn down 65% of requests for support amid soaring cases, while other dedicated services operating in communities are only able to help about half of those who request it.

Monitoring

Highlighting figures that show at least one in 12 women each year are affected and one in five recorded crimes relate to violence against women and girls, the committee said the Home Office’s current way of monitoring prevalence does not include all types of crime.

The MPs also said it is a “particular concern” that in spite of evidence that the age range of those most likely to become a victim or perpetrator of sexual violence is between 11 and 20, the Home Office does not include under-16s in its information gathering.

Launching the Government’s pledge to halve incidents of violence against women and girls within a decade last year, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said “our mission is for the whole of government, agencies, organisations and communities to work together”.

But commenting on the findings, committee member Anna Dixon said: “While it was welcome to hear of recent efforts to better coordinate action across departments, officials’ evidence caused alarm bells to ring.

“On some types of harm, government appears to be oblivious to the true scale and there remains scant evidence or learning from what is working locally.

“It is vital that the Home Office seizes this opportunity to lead and co-ordinate strong action across departments to ensure victims and survivors have access to the services and support they need and deserve, and that as a society we reverse the worrying rise in misogyny.”

Prevention measures

The committee also said the Government’s approach lacks an emphasis on prevention measures it said are necessary if long-term change is to be achieved.

In addition, the MPs called for clarity on how work with boys will be undertaken to “prevent harmful attitudes perpetuating”, and how the safety of young people online will be improved.

The committee added: “The Department for Education needs to step up and take a more proactive approach given the proliferation of misogynistic attitudes across social media platforms, and their influence on young men and boys, highlighted by the (committee) as a key area in need of attention.

“The increase in the number of cases reported to the revenge porn helpline from 521 to 22,000 in just nine years, serves to highlight the evolving nature of (violence against women and girls).

“The (committee) fears this is symptomatic of a wider issue across a range of departments who appear to have limited understanding of the scale of the challenges they face in addressing this issue.”

The inquiry found departments appeared to “lack awareness” of wider pressures on support services, including shortfalls caused by the housing crisis and delays in the justice system.

In a series of recommendations, the MPs called on the Home Office to outline how the mission-led approach will hold all departments to account for their contributions to tackling the issue.

It also said the department should detail how it will gain an accurate understanding of the challenges faced by support services and those who have sought help, as well as ensure all survivors are supported by the family courts system.

Referencing the forthcoming spending review, the committee called on the Home Office to confirm within one month how it plans to coordinate spending related to tackling violence against women and provide long-term funding stability.

The Government has been approached for comment.