Overview
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a serious crime. It can be physical, sexual, emotional and economic. It can happen in public or in private life.
The government's strategy for tackling violence against women and girls, published in July 2021, says its most recent statistics show:
- 1 in 5 women are victims of sexual assault or attempted assault in their lifetime (5% of victims are men)
- over 27% of women had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16 (14% of men)
- 20% of women aged 16 to 74 had experienced stalking since the age of 16 (10% of men)
Go to GOV.UK: Tackling violence against women and girls strategy.
Types of violence and abuse
The United Nations says violence against women is "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life" – UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, 1993.
The most common forms of violence against women include:
- domestic violence, including intimate partner violence
- sexual violence, including rape
- sexual harassment
- emotional or psychological abuse
Other forms include:
- sexual exploitation
- human trafficking
- female genital mutilation
- honour-based abuse
- forced marriage
- economic abuse
- elder abuse
- modern slavery
- stalking
Help for victims
Help for victims is available both locally and nationally.
End violence against women and girls
The cost to individuals and society of VAWG is high. There are strategies and policies to end VAWG locally, nationally and worldwide.