A Long-Awaited VAWG Strategy: Turning Commitment into Meaningful Change

The government has announced its long-awaited strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), setting out renewed commitments to prevention, protection, and accountability. The strategy acknowledges the scale of the issue, from harassment and domestic abuse to sexual violence and exploitation, and the need for a more coordinated national response.

For survivors, advocates and frontline services, the announcement represents both hope and scrutiny: progress will be measured not by policy statements, but by lived experience and outcomes.

Why It Matters

VAWG is not a niche issue - it is a systemic safety failure that affects women and girls in homes, workplaces, schools, public spaces and online.

Despite years of commitments, many survivors still face:

• barriers to reporting

• inconsistent responses across regions

• lack of early intervention

• limited access to support

A national strategy matters because it sets expectations. But trust will only be rebuilt if women and girls feel safer in their everyday lives, not just represented in policy documents.

What This Means for Community Safety and Safeguarding

• Prevention must come first:
  Education, early intervention and cultural change are essential. Tackling attitudes, behaviours and low-level harassment before they escalate is critical to long-term impact.

• Joined-up reporting and response:
  VAWG cuts across policing, health, education, transport, workplaces and local authorities. Survivors need clear, simple and consistent reporting routes instead of fragmented systems.

• Local delivery, national accountability:
  While strategy is set nationally, delivery happens locally. Councils, transport operators, employers and community partners must be supported and held accountable for meaningful action.

• Data, insight and visibility:
  Understanding where, when and how incidents occur enables targeted prevention. Without shared insight, VAWG risks remaining hidden and under-reported.

• Trust and survivor confidence:
  Women and girls are more likely to report when they believe they’ll be listened to, protected and supported without judgement or retaliation.

imabi’s View

A strategy alone will not end violence against women and girls. Action, accessibility and accountability will.

At imabi, we believe meaningful progress on VAWG requires:

• simple, discreet reporting tools that women and girls can use safely

• clear guidance and signposting to trusted support

• local insight and coordination between agencies

• prevention-focused approaches, not just crisis response

Through platforms like imabi Travel Guardian, imabi Connect, imabi Inspire, and imabi Pro, we support communities, employers and local partners to translate national commitments into practical, everyday protection, helping women and girls feel safer at work, in education, and in public spaces.

Ending VAWG demands more than words. It demands systems that work consistently, locally and visibly for those they are meant to protect.

Source: Sky News, December, 2025