These 4 steps have brought us closer to ending violence against women

Wendy Francis. Rachel McDaid. Tara Kershaw. Sarah Mayhew. Just four of the women who were murdered by men this year. 

The needless loss of women’s lives to men’s violence is a deepening epidemic and the statistics are bleak, with the Femicide Census finding that a woman has been killed by a man once every three days in the UK for the past 10 years.

But it’s also important not to forget about all the progress that has been made in ending gender-based violence, historically and more recently. For example, just over 20 years ago, marital rape was legal. 

Non-fatal strangulation became a standalone criminal offence two years ago, while coercive or controlling behaviour has only been a crime since 2015.

Andrea Simon, executive director at End Violence Against Women, told Metro: ‘The last few years have put violence against women and girls (VAWG) on the public agenda like never before, as people took to the streets in outrage following a series of horrifying high profile acts of male violence. 

‘This is a pivotal time for women and girls as a groundswell of public support joins the tireless work of activists, survivors, specialist services and campaigners in calling for systemic change.’

With this in mind, we’ve looked back at four moments that have moved us closer to ending violence against women and girls for good.

The Me Too movement

Founded by survivor and activist Tarana Burke in 2006, the ‘Me Too’ movement has since grown into a global awareness campaign against sexual abuse, harassment and rape culture. 

It first exploded in 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano used the hashtag #MeToo on Twitter. 

She wrote: ‘If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted, write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.’

Her post garnered thousands of replies from women who felt empowered to share their own stories, prompting a tidal wave of accusations against powerful men who had got away with abuse for years.

Isabelle Younane, head of external affairs at Women’s Aid, told Metro why the Me Too movement was such a pivotal moment. 

‘It meant that it was OK for women to stand up and talk about it in a way where there might have been shame associated with it in the past,’ she said.

‘That was a liberating moment for women: to feel that they could be heard and that their stories mattered. It moved away from a culture of victim blaming, and that narrative shift as part of the movement was really positive.’

The Rape Review

In the year ending September 2023, just 2.9% of recorded rapes resulted in a conviction according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and five in six women who are raped don’t report it according to Rape Crisis. 

The Rape Review Report, published in 2021, aimed to change that by examining the way the criminal justice system handles cases and looking at why and how rape survivors were being let down.

It included plans to ensure that every victim has access to quality support, that investigations are focused on suspects, rather than victims, and to give survivors clear communications throughout the court process. 

While the justice system is far from ideal for those reporting rape, this review has moved things in the right direction. 

It also launched Operation Soteria, which aims to increase the number of rape cases reaching charge. 

This began with five pathfinder forces, all of which have seen an increase in the number of cases being referred to the CPS – more than doubling in West Midlands Police and Durham, according to the National Police Chief’s Council.

Meanwhile, the number of cases being prosecuted by the CPS from Avon and Somerset more than tripled.

In July 2023 Operation Soteria was rolled out across all 43 police forces in England and Wales, and a survey published in November 2024 found that survivors’ experiences of police investigations had improved significantly since 2021 and even more so since 2023.

Andrea considers Operation Soteria ‘one of the most promising outcomes of the government’s Rape Review.’ 

She explained: ‘Operation Soteria aims to transform police investigations into rape, which normally focus on whether or not the victim is perceived as being credible and believable, rather than the suspect’s actions. 

‘This is clearly not right, and while there is a way to go to embed this change in the culture of policing, we’re pleased to see green shoots of progress.’

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021

The Domestic Abuse Act is a landmark piece of legislation, which introduced new criminal offences including post-separation coercive control, non-fatal strangulation and threats to disclose private sexual images. 

Other key changes the Act delivered include a ban on abusers using a defence of ‘rough sex’ for causing death or serious injury and a ban on GPs charging for letters of evidence of domestic abuse.

These letters can be used by survivors to access legal aid but, because they are part of a private service, it was previously up to the discretion of the individual GP practice whether to charge for them and, if so, how much.

The Domestic Abuse Act also placed a legal duty on councils to provide accommodation-based support to survivors and their children in refuges and other safe accommodation, allocating £257 million of funding to councils in order to achieve this. 

The Act also ensures that homeless survivors of domestic abuse have priority for homelessness assistance. But it does not deliver equal protection and support for migrant women, who continue to suffer abuse in silence, for fear of their immigration status being disclosed to the Home Office by police.

Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge, said: ‘The 2021 Domestic Abuse Act was the culmination of many years of hard work from the VAWG sector. 

‘The Act was a landmark piece of legislation, filling some of the gaps in existing laws on domestic abuse — for example, by making threats to share intimate images a crime alongside the non-consensual sharing of intimate images — but there is still a long way to go.’

The government’s election manifesto

In June this year, Keir Starmer pledged to voters that his party would halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

It’s an enormous undertaking, given that data from Women’s Aid shows one in four women will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives, but it’s a move that has been welcomed by campaign groups and charities. 

Isabelle Younane explains: ‘It’s the first [British] government to make that commitment to the public. And that in itself is a positive step because it’s a measurable commitment.’

And there have already been movements towards Labour’s ambitious goal. 

In September, new measures announced included domestic abuse specialists embedded in 999 control rooms (Raneem’s Law), more domestic abusers ordered to stay away from their victims, and making it a legal requirement for perpetrators to inform the police of any change in name or address.

For the first time, all types of domestic abuse will be covered, including physical, psychological, stalking, and coercive control.

What more needs to be done?

There is so much more that can and should be done to end violence against women and girls for good.

From better support for survivors and including them in policy decision-making, to engaging men in the fight and challenging rape culture — the list is endless. 

Metro spoke to charities in the sector to find out what their priorities are:

• Funding: Women’s services desperately need funding to carry out the vital work that they do and Women’s Aid is calling for at least £516 million per year to properly fund specialist women’s domestic abuse services. The Caring Family Foundation, which tackles child poverty, domestic abuse and reforestation in the UK and Brazil, recently committed to £225,000 of grants to support domestic abuse organisations in the UK. In total, the Foundation will have donated £400,000 in domestic abuse services in the UK and Brazil in 2024.
• Challenging attitudes: Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge, told us: ‘It is incredibly disheartening to witness the sheer scale of misogyny ingrained into our society, but we all have the power to bring about real change. Simply having a conversation about VAWG and listening to survivor voices, we can all help to challenge harmful attitudes.’
• Protecting human rights across the board: Legislation such as the Policing Act and the Public Order Act has restricted the right to collectively mobilise against violence, while the Nationality and Borders Act exacerbates the hostile environment discouraging migrant women from seeking protection from abuse. As Andrea told us, ‘None of us have rights unless all of us have rights’.
• A whole system response: This involves all sections of government working together to prevent abuse — not just through the criminal justice system, but through education, public campaigns, addressing social and economic inequalities, funding specialist support services and more.

We cannot turn a blind eye to the atrocities that are being committed against women and girls on a daily basis. 

But as charities, campaigners and activists continue to drive positive change, the progress that has been made in the last few years alone helps us to imagine a world where violence against women does not exist.

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