Violence against women and girls (VAWG)

The government is finalising its strategy on how it plans to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade. We are calling for policy change and resources for the family justice system to help meet this aim. The family courts are ideally placed to tackle VAWG work – but they will need effective and sustained investment.  

Why family courts are key

VAWG is often considered through the lens of the government’s ‘Safer Streets’ mission and regarded as an issue that can be ‘solved’ only in the criminal courts. This ignores the fact that many women and girls are harmed by men who are connected to them and the abuse takes place in their own homes.

Family law provides a legislative basis to protect victims and prevent VAWG in the long term, whether that be through a non-molestation orders or orders regulating where and with whom a child should live.

What are we calling for?

Due to years of underfunding, the family justice system’s ability to contribute to tackling VAWG has been hampered, meaning women are not appropriately and meaningfully protected, and in some cases, are subjected to ongoing abuse through court proceedings.

We have now set out a package of recommendations to improve the ability of the family justice system to address the root cause of VAWG through prevention and early intervention. As Bar Chair Barbara Mills KC said in her inaugural address: "Fund the family courts and end the horrific roll call of violence against women".

Our 8 recommendations:

1. VAWG must be accurately measured and recorded
2. Pilot the national reporting and review mechanism
3. Increase legal aid funding in family law
   1. Remove means testing for legal aid for alleged victims and survivors of domestic abuse
   2. Bring all cases involving domestic abuse within legal aid scope for both parties
4. Sufficiently fund the rollout of the Pathfinder courts and the Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDAC) across England and Wales
5. Improve support for those going through the family justice system
6. Continue to support the Domestic Abuse Protection Orders and Notices (DAPOs and DAPNs) scheme
7. Provision of perpetrator programmes following admissions or findings of fact hearings
8. Better coordination between the family justice system and the criminal justice system

Relevant statistics and research

• Government figures show that in the year ending March 2024, over 1.2 million women and over 550,000 men between the ages of 16 and 59 are estimated to have been victims of domestic abuse
• A report from the Domestic Abuse Commissioner published in October found that domestic abuse features in almost 90% of family cases
• The latest Femicide Census found that 51% of women killed by men in 2022 were killed by a current or former intimate partner
• The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 introduced new means testing that left approximately 15% of families eligible for legal aid