Violence against Women and Girls 2026-03-23
2026-03-23
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The question addresses the cross-Government strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. Survivors in Monmouthshire face economic abuse which continues even after leaving abusive relationships, impacting their ability to rebuild lives.
Survivors in Monmouthshire tell me that economic abuse not only featured in their relationships but stopped them rebuilding their lives long after they left. For some, the separation compromised their business. Others face continued control through child maintenance disputes. In what measurable ways will the VAWG strategy tackle economic abuse, and how will progress on that be reported to the House and elsewhere?
In the launch of the violence against women and girls strategy, I committed to annually updating the House on progress across a number of metrics—both the overarching metrics, and those that sit in different Government Departments. On working with the financial sector and regulators, the strategy talks about exploring how financial products, including joint mortgages, can be used as a tool of abuse. We will work with Departments such as the Treasury to monitor progress against all our aims, and I will report on that annually.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific measures within the strategy addressing economic abuse are not detailed, only broadly mentioned.
Response accuracy
Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
The initial question asked about the steps being taken to help tackle violence against women and girls, focusing on the cross-Government strategy.
What steps she is taking to help tackle violence against women and girls.
We are delivering the cross-Government freedom from violence and abuse strategy, published in December, which sets out concrete actions for halving VAWG in a decade by preventing violence and abuse, pursuing perpetrators, and supporting victims. As part of that, we have already launched our behaviour change campaign, rolled out domestic abuse protection orders, and embedded domestic abuse specialists in police control rooms under Raneem's law.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The question addresses a constituent's experience of coercive violence, where the perpetrator returned to the home despite her objections and continued assaulting her daily. The police response was inadequate, and there are concerns about future targeting.
One of my constituents suffered such coercive violence that her partner forced her to allow him back into the home. She could not tell anyone, and he continued to assault her daily. She reported the behaviour to the police, but they did very little. He is in prison for less than five years, and authorities are concerned that he will target her again when he is released. What is the Minister doing to ensure that women are properly protected against coercive violence, and that ex-partners face justice?
I send all my sympathy to the hon. Gentleman's constituent, who sounds like she has had a terrible ordeal. Off the top of my head, one measure that the Government have rolled out is the domestic abuse protection order, which gives police the power of arrest if it is breached. It is the first domestic abuse order that can be taken out for coercive and controlling behaviour. The evidence so far on the police response to those orders, compared with other orders, has been really heartening.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not directly address future protection after release from prison or measures to ensure justice for ex-partners.
Response accuracy