At the end of last week the government released a research briefing titled ‘Violence against women and girls in schools and among children and young people’.
The briefing notes that violence against women and girls is increasing, with online harms and abuse affecting girls at a higher rate than boys. It discusses the core challenges and opportunities in the UK to combat this.
The report notes that legislation and policy addressing VAWG have developed across several government departments. The Home Office has committed to halving VAWG by 2035 and is expected to publish a new cross-government strategy in 2025. It has invested in specialist services, police resourcing and perpetrator-focused initiatives. The Department for Education (DfE) updated statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in 2025, with new content on misogyny, incel culture and pornography. However, stakeholders have raised concerns about limited funding and inconsistent implementation.