How do we tackle violence against
women and girls? 

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a broad topic covering everything from misogynist views in education to domestic violence. Due to the enormity of the subject we knew one single inquiry wouldn't allow us to explore all the areas we would like to, so we have launched a programme of work.

We decided in 2022 that we would instead launch a Joint Area of Research Interest with the Home Affairs Select Committee to work together on our research.

We have had over 120 academics tell us about their work, which has helped us choose experts to answer our questions in Westminster, increase written evidence submissions from academics and experts in the field, and consider other ways we can engage with academics and research in our work.

In June 2022, we next launched our inquiry into attitudes towards women and girls in education.

We heard from those reaching out to the Committee that this was a very important topic for us to consider, and so we held an inquiry looking at the issues in this space.

Some of the key questions we wanted answered from this research were:

• What are the experiences of women and girls in educational settings? How widespread is the problem and are there particular problem areas?  
• What support exists for women and girls experiencing different types of harassment in educational settings? How effective is this support? 
• To what extent do the attitudes from boys/men in educational settings translate to adulthood? 
• What is the ongoing impact on boys of being exposed to toxic attitudes towards women and girls?  
• What interventions are currently in place in different educational settings? How effective are they on changing attitudes for the better? 

We have already heard from experts as part of our ongoing inquiry. You can watch what they had to say in the full session.

After finishing this inquiry we have published a report in the July 2023.

Our Committee found that sexual harassment and sexual violence continues to be a scourge in schools. We are saddened that Ofsted and the schools they inspect only acknowledged the seriousness of the sexual violence problem in schools following public testimonies of thousands of school-aged children.

Amongst our other recommendations, we are suggesting the Government should:

1. Extend compulsory Relationships, Health and Sex Education to young people in post-16 educational settings
2. Develop a specific strategy for engaging with boys and young men in primary and secondary schools on the topics of sexual harassment and gender-based violence
3. Ensure all schools have the funding they require to safeguard children and young people effectively
4. Ensure Head teachers do more to address harmful uses of mobile phones in school such as cyberflashing pornographic images or Airdropping nude images
5. Develop a nationwide sexual harassment and sexual violence awareness campaign that particularly targets male university students

You can read the full report 'Attitudes towards women and girls in educational settings' here.

In April 2022, we started by looking at pornography and its impact on violence against women and girls, in particular the regulation proposed by the upcoming Online Safety Bill.

We spoke first with experts, and then with governing bodies; Ofcom (the proposed online safety regulator) and Ministers.

We wrote to the then Minister suggesting changes to the Bill:

• Platforms should require age and consent checks for video uploads
• There should be minimum standards for age assurance technology
• Cyberflashing offences should be moved to a consent-based model

The minister did not accept any of the Committee’s recommendations.

The Government has since said that it will introduce an amendment to the Bill to criminalise “deepfakes” (explicit images or videos which have been manipulated to look like someone without their consent).

The Bill has also been amended to make it clearer what is expected from platforms in understanding the age of their users. The Bill also now names the Children’s Commissioner as a statutory consultee for Ofcom in its development of the codes of practice.

The Committee has concluded the inquiry by recommending that, approximately 18-24 months after the Bill passes into law, the Committee should undertake post-legislative scrutiny of the Bill.

In June 2022, we launched our next inquiry into misogyny in music.

We wanted to explore the differing expectations and sexism experienced by women within the industry and at music events, as well as the impact of misogynistic lyrics on attitudes towards women and girls.

This work aims to explore what the industry and Government can do to make the industry safer for women.

We have invited women working across the industry to speak privately to our members, and have also held two public sessions so far.

Find out more about our session hearing from academics, the CEO of Black Lives in Music, and another session hearing from various organisations that support women in the industry.

So-called honour-based violence and abuse was highlighted by the wider public and stakeholders as an important focus area for the Committee’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) work in March 2022.

We launched a short inquiry in November 2022 and got in touch with academics who had experience of this work.

We held two sessions, first hearing from academics and support organisations, and the second heard from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and Government Ministers.

We also received written evidence from over 50 stakeholders and groups. We are currently considering what recommendations we wish to make to Government.  

This work is ongoing and you can follow our progress on our website.

What happens next?

You can follow the progress of our work on violence against women and girls here.

You can see other work from the Women and Equalities Committee on our website.

Or stay updated by following us on Twitter.

The Women and Equalities Committee examines the work of the Government Equalities Office (GEO). It holds Government to account on equality law and policy, including the Equality Act 2010 and cross Government activity on equalities. It also scrutinises the Equality and Human Rights Commission.