Today, Thursday 18th December, the government has published its cross-government strategy setting out how it plans to meet its commitment to halve violence against women and girls in decade.
Responding to the commitments set out in the strategy, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said: “Domestic abuse is one of the most deeply damaging and pervasive issues that our society faces. Today’s strategy rightly recognises the scale of this challenge and the need to address the misogynistic attitudes that underpin it, but the level of investment to achieve this falls seriously short.
“For victims of domestic abuse, getting the right help at the right time can be lifesaving, but too often the response they receive is patchy. I’m pleased to see the NHS stepping up to ensure GPs feel equipped to spot signs of domestic abuse and refer victims into specialist services, and that child victims of sexual abuse will get the critical care they need to recover and rebuild.
“But most of the commitments in this strategy do not go far enough if we are to see the number of people subject to domestic abuse start to fall. There is still no long-term sustainable funding for specialist services to ensure victims can actually access support in their area, despite the fact many of these measures will likely drive up referrals; overburdened schools on the frontline of the insurgence of misogyny are not being equipped with the infrastructure they need to safeguard child victims of domestic abuse; and I struggle to see how relentlessly pursuing dangerous perpetrators squares with proposed changes in the Sentencing Bill that will see domestic abusers let out of prison again and again.
“The level of ambition in this government’s strategy signifies a step change in approach, but there are gaps that must be addressed if ministers want to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. Given the Prime Minister’s personal commitment on this issue, I expect leadership to come from the very top of government to guarantee progress is made. I stand ready to work with ministers to ensure this strategy delivers what was promised for victim-survivors.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Funding for support services
- On 2nd December, the Ministry of Justice announced £550 million over three years for specialist services that offer practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses. While there will be a 2% increase year on year, with inflation currently at 3.2% and increases next year to the national living wage, coupled with the rise in Employer National Insurance Contributions, there is concern that this signifies a real terms cut in funding, at a time when measures in this strategy will drive up demand for vital help and support.
- An additional £5 million a year will be invested by the Department of Health and Social Care to top up the £550 million, but it is yet unclear how this will be spent to support victims.
- On 15th December, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that £499 million will be provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement to expand domestic abuse support in safe accommodation over the next 3 years. This is an uplift of £19 million, on top of the £480 million announced in the Local Government policy statement on 20th November. While a welcome increase, sector organisations have warned that higher and more sustainable funding will be needed to meet demand for refuge spaces.
- Over half of the support services (56%) surveyed by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for her ‘Victims in their own right?’ report had experienced cuts to their funding over the past five years. Service commissioners also reported that funding would be at risk of being cut or reduced for over 40% of services when the allocation came to an end.
- Over a quarter of domestic abuse services (27%) surveyed had to turn children away from vital support amid severe funding shortages, and more than half (51%) stated they had had to place children on waiting lists due to the number of referrals they were receiving.
- Research conducted by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner which mapped community-based services back in 2022, found that fewer than half of victims and survivors were able to access the community-based support that they wanted. With nearly 4 million people subject to domestic abuse each year, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner expects this picture to now be much worse.
Reforms to automatic recall
- Under Part 2 of the Sentencing Bill currently going through parliament, the vast majority of offenders recalled to prison will now be re-released automatically after 56 days (around eight weeks).
- Domestic abuse perpetrators who are recalled are among the most dangerous. They are fixated on their victims, know everything about them and will stop at nothing to maintain control. When they are released, they are likely to quickly return to harassing, stalking, and abusing their victim. Although this may lead to them being recalled to prison, victims are likely to be harmed in the process.
- Crime stats from Jan – Mar 2025 showed an 36% increase in total recalls compared with the same quarter in 2024. Around 75% of recalls involved non-compliance with license conditions, and 23% related to further offending. Fixed-term recalls represented half of all prisoners returned to custody, up from 30% before initial changes to fixed-term recall in 2024. Because most domestic abuse crimes are not flagged past the point of conviction, we cannot determine how many perpetrators of domestic abuse have been recalled and re-released, or the basis for their recall – meaning many will slip through the cracks and be re-released when it’s not safe for them to be.
- The Commissioner is urging the government to implement an enhanced risk assessment process for domestic abuse perpetrators who are recalled for contact with their victim, rather than allowing them to be automatically let back into the community after 56 days in custody. These enhanced checks would prioritise the safety of victims, keeping the most dangerous abusers in prison until their risk has been reduced.