Shocking increase in violence against women and girls: a national emergency

Crime related to violence against women and girls (VAWG) has seen a shocking rise of almost 40% between 2018 and 2023, reaching levels that have been dubbed a 'national emergency' by top police . Law enforcement recorded more than one million of these crimes between 2022 and 2023. However, a recent report suggests the real number could be much higher, with an estimate of one in every 12 women, or more than two million individuals, who are victims of VAWG crimes annually. .

“The scale of the threat to women and girls in this country is huge. It's what we call an epidemic,” said Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth. These crimes accounted for 20% of all police-recorded crime in England and Wales from 2022 to 2023, a scale which Blyth said “cannot be tackled by law enforcement alone”.

The report also revealed a staggering 435% increase in child sexual exploitation and abuse offenses between 2013 and 2022, with the number of cases rising from just over 20,000 to almost 107,000. The average age of victims is now 13, while the average age of suspects is 15.

The report also highlighted growing concerns about online harm, with more suspects and victims being children. “The industry needs to do much more to remove this harmful content,” Blyth added.

In 2023, the government designated VAWG as a “national threat”, equating it with serious crimes such as terrorism. The new administration has pledged to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.

Mina Smallman, whose two daughters were brutally murdered in 2020, has campaigned for a change in attitudes. “What we need is a program focused on education. Catch them before they fall,” he said, supporting the categorization of VAWG crimes with the same seriousness as terrorism.

Police have expressed dissatisfaction with current criminal justice outcomes for VAWG offences, with domestic abuse prosecution and charge rates down around 45% since 2015. Blyth suggested a centralized within the police to improve their response to VAWG, but stressed that this would only be effective as part of a wider, currently overburdened and underperforming criminal justice system.