Campaigners criticised Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spending Review for lacking funding for violence against women and girls (VAWG) services, despite a government pledge to halve such violence by 2035.
The Chancellor announced the departmental budget allocations on June 11, including funding increases in areas such as defence, transport and policing.
However, campaigners say the decision to cut the Home Office budget – the department responsible for tackling VAWG – by 1.4% will undermine the government’s own mission to halve such violence within a decade.
Andrea Simon, Director of End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said: “We cannot afford to short-change life-saving specialist support for victims and survivors.
“Without the injection of additional funding for these services, this spending review does not credibly deal with the national emergency of violence against women and girls that we face.”
In a joint letter ahead of the announcement, Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs and Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove warned Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that without urgent funding, efforts to combat violence would fall short.
They wrote: “With domestic abuse at epidemic levels and victims of rape and sexual violence waiting years to receive justice due to record court backlogs, confidence in our justice system is being severely eroded.
“Yet nearly a year on from the election, we are becoming increasingly concerned that efforts to tackle this national emergency are playing out much as they have before.
“With bold and ambitious investment, we can finally tackle the systemic stain of violence and abuse, one that would see us get to grips with misogyny, ensure victims can recover from trauma and build a criminal justice system that delivers for survivors every single time.
“The cost of inaction is one this country can no longer afford.”
Despite a 2.3% rise in police spending and £700 million allocated to probation reform, the EVAW noted that there was no new funding for specialist support services.
Refuge, one of the UK’s largest domestic abuse charities, estimated a £307 million shortfall in VAWG spending.
Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, said: “Enough is enough – women and girls deserve more than empty promises.
“Every two minutes, someone turns to Refuge for support, and this demand is only increasing.
“Today’s Spending Review should have marked a defining moment for the Government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the next decade.
“Yet, this critical opportunity was missed, with the Chancellor failing to mention domestic abuse or VAWG when setting out the Spending Review.
“Without adequate, sustained funding, the Government risks failing the millions who are impacted by VAWG every year.”
Charities and commissioners alike are calling for long-term funding to match the scale of the crisis.
Their proposals include a minimum of £500 million annually for domestic abuse services, significant investment in ‘by and for’ organisations serving minoritised groups, and nearly £130 million for exisiting sexual abuse services.
The Treasury have been contacted for comment.
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