Ministers appear to be “oblivious” to the true scale of harm caused by violence against women and girls and must do more to “reverse the worrying rise in misogyny”, MPs have said.
Parliament’s cross-party public accounts committee heard evidence that women’s refuges were being forced to turn down 65% of requests for support amid soaring cases, while other dedicated services operating in communities were able to help only about half of those who requested it.
Highlighting figures that showed at least one in 12 women each year were affected by violence and one in five recorded crimes related to violence against women and girls, the committee said the Home Office’s way of monitoring prevalence did not include all types of crime.
The MPs also say it is a “particular concern” that in spite of evidence that the age range of those most likely to become a victim or perpetrator of sexual violence is between 11 and 20, the Home Office does not include under-16s in its information gathering.
We remain deeply concerned about the scale of violence against women and girls in England and Wales. Click here to find out more.