UK Policy Briefing
Our series of briefings on the gender impact of policy in 12 distinct areas ahead of the Autumn Budget 2017.
• Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) has multiple and lasting impacts on victims as well as society as whole. It is estimated that 4.3 million women suffer domestic violence over their lifetime, 1.2 million women suffer domestic violence each year and 450,000 women are victims of sexual violence annually.
• The government’s VAWG strategy recognises the scale of the problem, but is not backed with sufficient funding for either victims’ services or preventive interventions to reduce the incidence of VAWG in the longer term.
• Government initially committed £80m to supporting the VAWG strategy, with an additional £20m announced for domestic violence services in the 2017 Spring Budget – a total of £100m over the life of the parliament, that is, five years.
• The total costs of VAWG to society are estimated at £40bn annually.
• WBG calls on the government to put in place ongoing funding for VAWG services that is adequate to meeting needs of victims and allows for investment in preventive measures, such as Sex and Relationships Education in schools.
WBG and Gingerbread are calling on the Government to follow through with the promise to uprate benefits in line with inflation.
Ahead of the March 2020 Budget, the Women's Budget Group has made recommendations for investment.
Ahead of the 2018 Autumn Budget, we’ve put together a briefing on the gender implications of future trade deals after the UK leaves the EU.
Investing beyond physical infrastructure- the importance of investing in care services to address unemployment, poverty, and gender inequality.