2017 Pre-Budget Briefing: Violence Against Women and Girls

Key Points

• Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) has multiple and lasting impacts on victims as well as society as whole. It is estimated that 4.3 million women suffer domestic violence over their lifetime, 1.2 million women suffer domestic violence each year and 450,000 women are victims of sexual violence annually.

• The government’s VAWG strategy recognises the scale of the problem, but is not backed with sufficient funding for either victims’ services or preventive interventions to reduce the incidence of VAWG in the longer term.

• Government initially committed £80m to supporting the VAWG strategy, with an additional £20m announced for domestic violence services in the 2017 Spring Budget – a total of £100m over the life of the parliament, that is, five years.

• The total costs of VAWG to society are estimated at £40bn annually.

• WBG calls on the government to put in place ongoing funding for VAWG services that is adequate to meeting needs of victims and allows for investment in preventive measures, such as Sex and Relationships Education in schools.

Read our full Pre-Budget Briefing on VAWG here.