Schoolboys to be target of UK’s violence against women strategy

Changing attitudes among boys and young men will be at the heart of the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, the BBC has been told.

Next Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood will unveil the long-delayed plan for how to tackle what ministers have called a “national emergency”.

This comes after the strategy’s publication was delayed three times last year.

The Labor government has pledged to halve the rate of violence against women and girls over the next decade, but critics questioned his resolve to combat the problem.

There are also likely to be concerns about why the strategy was published on the day Parliament adjourned for the Christmas break.

BBC News has been told that the violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy will be built around three objectives: preventing the radicalization of young men, stopping abusers and supporting victims.

Next week the government will unveil a policy offensive to tackle what government sources call “the scourge of violence that shatters the lives of women and girls”.

As part of the strategy, ministers will focus on preventing and tackling the root causes of radicalization of young men in their schools, homes and online. They will work with teachers to challenge misogyny and promote healthy relationships.

Government sources say parents will be given more support to intervene early.

They say this is because violence against women and girls occurs at younger ages. According to domestic violence charity Reducing Risk, around 40% of young people in relationships become victims of abuse.

Online influencers are partly blamed for fueling this. One in five young men reportedly have a positive view of self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate.

According to Ministry of Internal Affairs figures, one in every eight women was the victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking in the last year alone.

Statistics also show that around 200 rapes are recorded by the police every day, and many more go unreported. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of children are sexually abused every year.

Earlier this week, Deputies in the justice commission complained to the government It’s about postponing strategy.

The letter was signed by committee chairman Andy Slaughter MP and said: “Repeated delays in publications send the message that tackling VAWG is not a government priority, despite ambitions to halve VAWG over the next decade.”

The BBC was told the strategy would have a cross-government approach, including collaboration between the Home Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Education and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

A government source said: “There will also be a raft of new measures so rapists and sex offenders will have nowhere to hide. We will track down abusers, strengthen police forces with the tools they need to do this and put abusers on a course to stop their crimes.”

However, it is not yet clear what these vehicles will be.

Hayley Johns is a domestic violence survivor and said “the proof will be in the pudding”.

“If you’re going to say all these words, make sure it works. We’re in a crisis when it comes to domestic violence. Actions have to match your words, otherwise there’s no point.”

“There needs to be evidence and statistics to show that this strategy works, and there needs to be a difference within a year, otherwise it’s just nonsense.”

The government also wants to support victims who say police failure and court delays are worse than the crime itself. More than half of rape and stalking cases collapse because victims withdraw from the process.

Many victims find themselves intimidated by coercive controlling behavior in their own homes, including economic abuse and persistent stalking.

The strategy will aim to better support them as justice is served.