Responding to the ‘Tackling violence in opposition to ladies and women’ report from the Nationwide Audit Workplace (NAO), Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge, mentioned:
“Sadly, the findings of in the present day’s NAO report come as no shock. We help 1000’s of survivors yearly, so we all know all too properly violence in opposition to ladies and women (VAWG) is horrifically frequent. And but, confidence within the justice system is at an all-time low, and every single day survivors proceed to be failed, which is having devastating and at instances, deadly penalties.
“Extra surprisingly, the NAO report discovered that the prevalence of home abuse was decrease in 2023-24 than in 2009-10, however we all know information represents simply the tip of the iceberg, as ladies face a myriad of limitations when reporting to the police. Underreporting, coupled with inconsistent information assortment and new police recording guidelines launched in 2023, could create a deceptive impression that home abuse is on the decline, when from our expertise as a service supplier, this isn’t the case in any respect. In the meantime, the report highlighted an increase in sexual assault, with 20% of all police-recorded crime in 2022-23 regarding VAWG.
“We welcomed the Authorities’s pledge to halve VAWG throughout the decade, however whereas 78% of the commitments made throughout each the Dwelling Workplace’s VAWG Technique and Home Abuse Plan had been met by 2024, many of those commitments weren’t new, in keeping with the report. And when a lady is being killed by a companion or ex-partner each 5 days in England and Wales, 78% just isn’t sufficient.
“The Authorities has vowed to take VAWG significantly, so it’s extremely disappointing to see the Dwelling Workplace has underspent by itself VAWG finances by a mean of 15% between 2021-22 and 2023-24, notably at a time when help companies for survivors are dealing with immense monetary strain. Refuge has persistently careworn the significance of elevated funding for the VAWG sector, as with out it, the Authorities won’t be able to attain its purpose of halving VAWG. Specialist companies, lots of that are at breaking level, urgently want funding to reverse years of power underfunding.
“We sincerely hope the Dwelling Workplace’s new VAWG technique, set to be shared in spring, will embody a radical, cross-Authorities plan for tackling systematic shortcomings within the justice system, in addition to improved funding provisions for lifesaving VAWG companies.
“With the Spring Finances additionally approaching, we urge the Authorities to allocate ring-fenced, multi-year and sustainable funding for specialist organisations to make sure as many survivors as potential can entry important help.”
