Millions of pounds are being allocated to tackle violence against
women and girls (VAWG), the Home Secretary has announced today.
Measures announced include:
- £8.4 million to support victims of violence against women and
girls
- targeted funding for the most vulnerable communities
- up to £7.5 million for domestic abuse interventions in
healthcare settings
- funding for rapid spiking tests to build police intelligence
£8.4 million is being awarded to funding specialist support
services for the most vulnerable. The majority of the money will
go to services which are led, designed and delivered by the users
and communities they serve, such as services for victims and
survivors from ethnic minority backgrounds, deaf and disabled
victims and survivors, and LGBT victims and survivors. Victims
will benefit from trauma-informed support which could range from
counselling to refuge accommodation.
In addition, in recognition of the important role healthcare
workers play in identifying domestic abuse and signposting
victims to support, the government is also investing up to £7.5
million of funding for domestic abuse interventions in healthcare
settings. This funding will aim to equip more healthcare
professionals with the right tools to be able to better identify
and respond to domestic abuse, and improve referral pathways for
victims to access support services.
The announcement comes on the International Day for Elimination
of Violence Against Women and Girls, which the Home Secretary
marked yesterday (24 November) with a visit to Refuge, to see
first-hand the support needed for domestic abuse and sexual
assault victims to rebuild their lives.
Home Secretary said:
It is paramount that victims of insidious crimes like domestic
abuse and sexual assault receive the support they need to rebuild
their lives, and we know that those with other vulnerabilities
need dedicated support.
This funding comes in addition to an incredibly wide range of
work across the board to ensure victims are supported and
criminals are brought to justice.
After consulting the public in 2020 through the Government Call
for Evidence on Violence Against Women and Girls, the government
committed through the Tackling VAWG Strategy and Tackling
Domestic Abuse Plan to ensure the provision of tailored victim
support. This highlighted the importance of ‘by-and-for’
services, as well as trauma-informed provision and other victim
support which is tailored to specific forms of VAWG.
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs said:
We know these services have been woefully underfunded, so I am
delighted to see this additional money being made available for
‘by-and-for’ organisations. Domestic abuse survivors tell us that
getting support from their own community is the most effective
way to help them recover and rebuild their lives.
As part of its commitment to tackling all forms of violence
against women and girls, the Home Office is also granting an
additional £70,000 of funding for rapid forensic testing of
samples from reported incidents of drink and needle spiking.
This is part of our support for the National Police Chiefs’
Council’s work to determine the nature and scale of spiking. The
funding will cover testing of additional urine samples taken by
the police, to allow us to build on our understanding of spiking,
including improving geographical data on what substances are used
and where.
These are some of the many measures the government has taken to
support victims, bring perpetrators to justice and protect women
and girls across the country. Last month the ‘Enough’ campaign to tackle
violence against women and girls, was launched. This gives
bystanders safe ways to intervene if they witness an incident of
violence against women and girls, ranging from sexual harassment
on the street, public transport or at work, to unwanted touching,
sharing intimate images of someone without their consent and
coercive control in a relationship.
