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Introducing VISION research on Domestic Homicide Reviews at the Vulnerability and Policing Futures Conference

Dr Darren Cook

Blog by Dr Darren Cook, VISION Research Fellow in Natural Language Processing

Earlier this month, Dr Elizabeth (Lizzie) Cook and I had the opportunity to introduce our developing project on Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) at the Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre’s second annual conference in Leeds. The two-day event brought together academics, practitioners, and policymakers to explore the themes of reducing harm and strengthening justice.

In a session on Measuring Vulnerability: Harnessing Routinely Collected Data, we outlined how natural language processing (NLP) could be used to improve access to and analysis of the Home Office’s growing library of DHR reports. We highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of applying advanced computational methods to such sensitive material and set out our vision for building a tool to make the full corpus of DHRs more searchable. By improving searchability, researchers and policymakers can more effectively explore recurring themes and insights within the reports.

Our talk prompted thoughtful questions and constructive feedback from an interdisciplinary audience of around 30 participants, which will help shape the next stages of the project.

What are Domestic Homicide Reviews?

Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) are reports that examine the circumstances surrounding a death resulting from suspected domestic violence or abuse. Introduced in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004) and implemented in 2011, these reviews provide a detailed, chronological account of the victim and perpetrator. They are written in narrative form and aim to identify lessons that can be learned from a domestic homicide.

Since June 2023, over 600 reports have been made publicly available through an online repository with a view to improving transparency and to encourage greater opportunity for learning.

Why does access remain a challenge?

Despite the progress made with the repository, researchers and practitioners still face barriers that limit how effectively the reports can be used. In our talk, we focused on two key challenges: (1) At present, each report must be extracted individually, which is impractical for projects working across hundreds of documents, and (2) The repository’s search functions rely on a fixed set of tags added by the Home Office. Users cannot create new categories or adjust existing ones, which restricts the kinds of questions researchers can ask. As a result, while the reports are technically public, their full potential as a resource remains difficult to unlock.

Building better access

Our presentation built on earlier consultation work with public and third sector organisations, and we shared some of the next steps we are planning. These will be set out in more detail in an upcoming research protocol paper co-authored with Sumanta Roy, a member of our VISION Advisory Board and Head of Research, Evaluation & Development at Imkaan, and Ravi Thiara, VISION Co-Investigator and Professor at University of Warwick.

Our central idea is to explore the feasibility of creating a structured dataset that summarises the key features of the DHR library. This would capture information such as victim and perpetrator demographics, the commissioning body, safeguarding risks, recommendations, and missed opportunities.

To do this, we are developing a tool that applies text-mining and natural language processing (NLP) techniques to extract information directly from the reports. The resulting dataset will be both searchable and filterable, allowing users to focus on increasingly specific subsets of the material. We also want to build functionality that enables users to download customised sets of reports rather than relying on individual downloads.

How will this help researchers and policymakers?

By improving access, searchability, and flexibility, our project will make it possible to work with DHRs at a scale that has not previously been possible. Instead of relying on small samples or manual searches, researchers will be able to look across hundreds of cases, identify recurring patterns, and ask new kinds of questions. The creation of a structured dataset will also support more consistent and comparable findings, helping to strengthen collaboration between academics, practitioners, and policymakers.

In the longer term, we hope this work will not only make DHR research more efficient but also ensure that the lessons within these reports are more easily applied to safeguarding practice.

Looking back to the conference

Presenting at the Vulnerability and Policing Futures Conference gave us the chance not only to share our ideas but also to test them with an audience of experts. The thoughtful discussions and questions we received will help guide how we take this project forward.

For further information, please contact Darren at darren.cook@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Image from Adobe Stock subscription.

VISION researchers present at the European Conference on Domestic Violence

Fourteen researchers from across the UKPRP VISION research consortium attended the September 2025 European Conference on Domestic Violence (ECDV) in Barcelona, Spain. The team presented key findings from their VISION research and several also convened a symposium. It was a successful turnout from the team and a fantastic networking opportunity.

The ECDV conference aims to support and reflect the aims of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. It was developed to enhance the visibility and connection of individuals working to address domestic violence in Europe, while also benefitting from the contribution of colleagues from outside Europe.

  • Anastasia Fadeeva convened the symposium Health perspectives on addressing domestic violence and abuse
  • Ladan Hashemi, Anastasia Fadeeva and Sally McManus presented Gender Asymmetry in Physical Health Associations with Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
  • Anastasia Fadeeva and Niels Blom presented Injuries and Seeking Healthcare following Violence: Inequalities by Victim-Perpetrator Relationship
  • Vanessa Gash presented Hounded Out? Measuring the Effect of Workplace Violence on Women and Men’s Employment Transitions
  • Natalia Lewis and Lizzie Cook participated in the workshop, Community of practice for evidence syntheses on gender-based violence: learning together to enable methodological developments and improve evidence for policy and practice.
  • Lizzie Cook presented Analysing sex/gender-related motives and indicators in England and Wales
  • Sally McManus presented Commercial Determinants of Health: Opportunities for domestic violence prevention from a public health framework analysis which was written with VISION colleagues Olumide Adisa and Mark Bellis.
  • Ruth Weir convened the symposium Violence and abuse in young people’s intimate relationships
  • Polina Obolenskaya and Annie Bunce presented Too soon, too late: experience of and professional responses to abuse in teenage relationships
  • Ruth Weir presented ADA and its consequences: a rapid systematic review
  • Annie Bunce convened the symposium, Exploring multiple vulnerabilities using specialist services’ administrative data: Challenges, opportunities and lessons for the future
  • Maddy Janickyj and Leonie Tanczer presented Understanding Technology-Facilitated Abuse: Exploring real-life experiences through Support Services’ data
  • Annie Bunce presented The role of vulnerability in the inequity of health outcomes for DVA survivors
  • Hannah Manzur presented Disclosure to Formal Agencies and Specialised Support Services among Victims of Intimate Partner Domestic Abuse: Comparing Inequality Patterns, Victim Profiles, and Harms by Disclosure, written with VISION colleagues Annie and Ravi
  • Ladan Hashemi and Hannah Manzur presented Ethnic Disparities in outcomes from contact with DVA support services
  • Gene Feder convened the symposium Adding to the evidence base that community-based perpetrator programmes work to reduce abuse: Positive findings from REPROVIDE, a UK randomised controlled trial

Photographs:

  1. Top, left to right: Annie Bunce (VISION, City St George’s University of London), Ruth Weir (VISION, City St George’s University of London), Nicola Farrelly (University of Lancashire), Polina Obolenskaya (VISION, City St George’s University of London), Christine Barter (University of Lancashire), Aisling Barker (Islington City Council and City St George’s University of London), and Katrina Hadjimatheou (University of Essex)
  2. Middle, left to right: Hannah Manzur (VISION, City St George’s University of London), Ladan Hashemi (VISION, City St George’s University of London), Maddy Janickyj (VISION, University College London), and Annie Bunce (VISION, City St George’s University of London)
  3. Second from bottom: Vanessa Gash (VISION, City St George’s University of London)
  4. Bottom, left to right: Angel Deng (Kings College London), and Ladan Hashemi, Anastasia Fadeeva and Sally McManus (VISION, City St George’s University of London)

A Lived Experience perspective of the 2025 VISION annual conference

by Justin Coleman, Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network

The UK Prevention Research Partnership VISION consortium’s 4th annual conference on violence prevention was a truly impactful day. As part of the Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network Lived Experience Advisory Group (VAMHN LEAG), representing a lived experience perspective, I found the discussions both thought-provoking and essential. The event skilfully blended academic rigor, professional expertise, and, crucially, profound lived and learned experience, prompting vital questions about how we truly move forward in creating a more inclusive and effective violence prevention landscape.

The Imperative of Inclusive Practice: Who Are We Really Serving?

A key takeaway was the urgent need for radical inclusivity. While Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) was rightly highlighted and the clear and marked volume and % percentage numbers are stark, I question if we’re inadvertently creating gaps for other survivors. As a male survivor of abuse, as a child, I wonder if our messaging and funding focus heavily on one demographic, how do we ensure male survivors, LGBTQ+ individuals, and marginalised communities (young and older) feel seen and supported? True trauma-informed practice, to me, means moving beyond “what’s wrong with you?” to “what happened to you?” for everyone who is impacted by all forms of violence and abuse. No matter who you are, this simply shouldn’t happen to anyone.

Data, lived experience, and investment: Are we looking at the full picture?

The power of data in policy was clear, but it also raised concerns. Are investment strategies relying on outdated statistics? If resource allocation isn’t based on continuously updated, comprehensive data, are we truly capturing the evolving landscape of violence and the needs of all survivors today? Quantitative data alone can miss nuanced realities that lived experience and ethnographic insights provide. We need a dynamic balance where current lived realities inform and refresh our understanding, ensuring our leadership is deeply connected to ‘our’ diverse lived experiences.

Redefining safety and dignity: Beyond the checklist

The concept of “safety” in support spaces commented on at the conference resonated deeply. Can we ever guarantee “safety,” or should we strive for environments that are continually “safer” and more “supported”? This shift moves us beyond ticking a box to an ongoing commitment. The most impactful word was “dignity.” Shouldn’t ensuring dignity be a fundamental aim at every stage of a survivor’s journey, enabling genuine opportunity for healing and empowerment?

Breaking silos: The path to unified prevention

Effective violence prevention demands a cross-government, cross-sector approach. We need to collaborate beyond our immediate professional bubbles, integrating insights from areas like the criminal justice system to inform victim services. While “whole-family” approaches were discussed, I questioned if we can expand this to truly embrace “whole-community” approaches, ensuring LGBTQ+ individuals, isolated people, and every member of society has an equitable voice and space in prevention, responsibility, and repair.

Moving forward: A collective responsibility

This conference was a crucial step, bringing vital voices to the table. The co-produced animation with VAMHN and SafeLives, available on the City St George’s University of London YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/z6LbYDGfBZw?si=3-tJYXDqLfM16pE-, is an excellent resource for understanding lived experience engagement. To truly mobilise an effective cross-government response, we must continue to ask:

  • Are our investment decisions agile enough to respond to current data and the evolving needs of all survivors?
  • Does promoting the financial cost of crime and low conviction rates discourage reporting?
  • How can we ensure every violence prevention initiative is genuinely trauma-informed and inclusive, making all children, male, LGBTQ+, and all marginalised survivors feel equally seen, heard, and supported? What is the cost of not being inclusive?
  • Are we creating enough opportunities for genuine connection and partnership across diverse stakeholders at events like this, rather than just delivering information?
  • Are we bravely embracing “safer” and “dignity” as guiding principles, continuously improving how we support survivors?
  • Are we actively breaking down silos to build robust and equitable prevention and support systems?

The future of violence prevention depends on challenging existing paradigms, embracing inclusivity, advocating for trauma-informed practice and care, and working together from all perspectives with updated knowledge and a shared commitment to a safer journey towards dignity for all. This VISION conference stimulated valuable questions and directions, strengthening my determination to build connectivity, dignity, and safer spaces for survivors.

To read the latest Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network newsletter: June VAMHN newsletter

Photograph licensed under Adobe Stock subscription

VISION gender-based violence research findings presented at European conference

The European Network on Gender and Violence (ENGV) is an interdisciplinary, international network supporting exchange and collaboration among researchers, scholars, and professionals. Each year, the ENGV hosts a conference that provides a forum for current research related to gender-based violence (GBV). The annual event provides an excellent opportunity for many of the VISION researchers to present their findings and to engage and connect with others.

This year, the ENGV conference was held at Vilnius University, Lithuania, from June 26-28. Eleven VISION / VASC colleagues attended and shared their GBV research in either a presentation or a poster. VISION GBV topics included measurement, intersectionality, migration and forced sex and marriage.

Presentations:

  • Niels Blom and Vanessa Gash, The effects of intimate partner violence and abuse on job loss and time off work
  • Ruth Weir and Sally McManus, Findings from the interdisciplinary VISION consortium: Measuring violence to reduce its impact
  • Jana Kriechbaum, Normative Borders: The paradox around insecure-migrant women experiencing intimate partner violence in post-Brexit Britain
  • Hannah Manzur, Inequality Dimensions of Violence: Disparities and Disproportionalities in Victimisation and Fear by Gender, Ethnicity and Migrant-status
  • Ladan Hashemi and Sally McManus, The Multifaceted Nature of VAWG in LMI Countries: The Case of Forced Sex and Forced Marriage in Iran

Posters

We are also thrilled to announce that the 2026 ENGV annual conference will be held at City St George’s 24-26 June at the Clerkenwell campus. Planning will begin in spring 2025 with a Call for Proposals announced in the summer. Check the VISION website for details next year or email us at VISION_Management_Team@city.ac.uk to be added to the ENGV 2026 email group distribution list to receive updates.

Photograph: (left to right) Annie Bunce and Polina Obolenskaya in front of their poster at the ENGV conference 2024.

Commercial determinants of violence highlighted at World Safety Conference by Prof Mark Bellis

This September, on behalf of the VISION research consortium and Liverpool John Moores University, Professor Mark Bellis gave the plenary violence prevention address to World Safety Conference in in New Delhi, India.

World Safety 2024 is the World Health Organization’s biennial global conference on injury prevention and safety promotion, covering all aspects of violence and unintentional injury.

Mark’s plenary dealt with the commercial determinants of violence based on a paper published earlier this year with his VISION colleagues, Professor Sally McManus and Dr Olumide Adisa, and others.

In his presentation, Mark outlined how, as well as governments, public sector organisations and charities, commercial organisations also have a major part to play in the prevention of violence. The plenary considered commercial influence on violence through political, scientific, marketing supply/waste chain, labour & employment financial and reputational management practices. For some industries such as the arms and alcohol industries their relationships the causes of violence are already relatively well understood. However, mining, financial, social media, clothing and other manufacturing industries are also contributors to a growing violence problem.

The plenary presentation addressed commercial impacts on child maltreatment, sexual and domestic violence, youth violence and elder abuse. It also explored how companies can, and should, move from being part of the violence problem to leaders in implementing solutions. 

Learning across statutory reviews

This VISION policy briefing summarises themes arising from the symposium, Learning across statutory review practices: origins, ambitions and future directions, held as part of the 2024 VISION Annual Conference on 11 June.

The symposium was led by Dr Elizabeth Cook, City, UoL, and Dr James Rowlands, University of Westminster.

The following panellists introduced several of the statutory reviews and shared their thoughts on lessons learnt and the future:

  • Dr Bethan Davies, Cardiff University: Wales Single Unified Safeguarding Review (SUSR)
  • Professor Emeritus Jonathan Dickens, University of East Anglia: Child safeguarding
  • Frank Mullane, Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA): Ambitions for learning and change across systems
  • Professor Emeritus Michael Preston-Shoot, University of Bedfordshire: Adult safeguarding
  • Sumanta Roy, Imkaan: Domestic Homicide Reviews

After the series of presentations, as part of breakout roundtable discussions, conference attendees were invited to explore how different statutory reviews are conducted and practised, their ambitions, and challenges for the future.

This briefing is for practitioners and managers who participate in or lead statutory reviews. The briefing will also be of interest to policy makers and senior leaders from local and national government who commission or oversee statutory review processes.

The policy is available in the public domain, Learning across statutory review practices: Origins, ambitions, and future directions (figshare.com).

For further information, please contact Lizzie at elizabeth.cook@city.ac.uk.

Celebrating courage: Empowering voices against honour-based abuse

This event is in the past. For further information on ‘honour’-based abuse and how the event went, please see our blog, Empowering voices against ‘honour’-based abuse: A call to action – City Vision.

Join IKWRO and the UKPRP VISION consortium for an enlightening and impactful event dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of ‘honour’-based abuse.

We are proud to partner with women’s rights organisation, IKWRO, and host their upcoming event, Celebrating courage: Empowering voices against honour-based abuse, Friday 18 October 2024 at City, UoL.

IKWRO works to safeguard and empower women and girls against ‘honour-based’ abuse across the UK. Their mission is to advance Middle Eastern, North African, and Afghan women’s and girls’ rights, tackle discrimination and violence against women and girls, and empower women and girls to access their rights and entitlements in the UK. 

In honour of the International Day of the Girl Child, this in-person event is dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of “honour”-based abuse, which is predominantly suffered by women and girls.

Professionals, students, survivors, and anyone interested in understanding and combating honour-based abuse are welcome. This is an opportunity to learn from experts, connect with others in the field, and contribute to a meaningful dialogue on this important issue.

Event Highlights

  • Panel Discussions with a Q&A Session: An open forum for attendees to engage with our speakers and ask questions about honour-based abuse and how to tackle it effectively.
  • Experts in the field will discuss the nuances of honour-based abuse, its identification, and the challenges in differentiating it from domestic violence.
  • Survivors and advocates will share their personal stories and discuss support systems and empowerment strategies.

Event Details

Presentations from the 2024 VISION Annual Conference

The presentations from the 3rd VISION annual conference are now available for downloading.

The event was held at Kings College London, Strand campus, on 11 June. The theme was Violence prevention in research and policy: Bridging silos. Keynote speakers, Dr Claudia Garcia-Moreno (World Health Organisation) and Professor Katrin Hohl (City, UoL) considered the changes needed for effective violence prevention from the perspectives of health and justice. Three symposiums highlighted interdisciplinary research from the VISION consortium and partners on:

– Violence against older people: Challenges in research and policy;

– Learning across statutory review practices: Origins, ambitions and future directions; and

– Responding to experiences and expressions of interpersonal violence in the workplace

Approximately 80 academics, central and local government officials, practitioners, and voluntary and community sector organisations attended from a range of health and crime / justice disciplines.

All the slides that could be shared are available below. Please feel free to download.

Photo caption: Symposium 3, ‘Responding to experiences and expressions of interpersonal violence in the workplace’. From left to right: Chair, Dr Olumide Adisa (University of Suffolk) and Panellists Dr Vanessa Gash (City, UoL), Dr Alison Gregory (Alison Gregory Consulting), Catherine Buglass (Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse) and Dr Niels Blom (City, UoL)

Professor Gene Feder, VISION Director – Welcome – 1 download

Welcome_VISION-Annual-Conference-2024Download

Keynote Speaker, Dr Claudia Garcia-Moreno – Violence against women: From research to policy and action – 1 download

Keynote-Speaker-2_Research-to-policy-and-action_2Download

Symposium 1 – Violence against older people: Challenges in research and policy – 4 downloads (Hourglass, Office for National Statistics, Public Health Wales & VISION)

Symposium-1_Older-people-and-violence_HourglassDownload
Symposium-1_Older-people-and-violence_ONSDownload
Symposium-1_Older-people-and-violence_PHWDownload
Symposium-1_Older-people-and-violence_VISIONDownload

Symposium 2 – Learning across statutory review practices: Origins, ambitions and future directions – 1 download

Symposium-2_Statutory-Review-Practice_AllDownload

Symposium 3 – Responding to experiences and expressions of interpersonal violence in the workplace – 3 downloads (Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse, and 2 from VISION)

Symposium-3_Violence-and-the-workplace_VISIONDownload
Symposium-3_Violence-and-the-workplace_EIDADownload
Symposium-3_Violence-and-the-workplace_VISION-2Download

Event: Zero tolerance to female genital mutilation

This event is in the past.

The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is 6 February every year. The United Nations Assembly designated the day with the aim to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this practice.

In support to highlight the day and the horrific practice of FGM, IKWRO, a London-based human rights organisation for Middle Eastern, North African and Afghan women and girls living in the UK, is hosting Zero tolerance to female genital mutilation on 5 February 2024, 2 – 5 pm, in London at Resource for London, 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA.

The event brings together experts and survivors to shed light on the challenges and gaps in safeguarding women and girls globally in the context of FGM:

  • Payzee Mahmod, Campaign Manager at IKWRO
  • Naana Otoo-Oyortey, Executive Director of FORWARD, an African diaspora women’s rights organisation in the UK
  • Mama Sylla, an FGM survivor and chairwoman of La FRATERNITE UK, a London-based registered charity
  • Shamsa Araweelo, an FGM survivor and social activist
  • Janet Fyle, Royal College of Midwives’ (RCM) Professional Policy Advisor and a Cardiff University School of Policy Law accredited Expert Witness
  • Jaswant Kaur Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor
  • Aisha K. Gill, Ph.D., CBE is Professor of Criminology at University of Bristol
  • Detective Superintendent Alex Castle, Metropolitan Police and Lead Responsible Officer for Harmful Practices and co-chair of the London Harmful Practice Working Group

Speakers and attendees will engage in discussions about the pressing issues surrounding FGM such as the challenges and barriers to disclosure, reporting and prosecution and explore ways to bridge the existing gaps through policy changes, community involvement and institutional improvements.

For further information on the free event and to register, please see: Zero Tolerance to FGM Conference

Or please contact VISION Senior Research Fellow, Dr Ladan Hashemi at: ladan.hashemi@city.ac.uk

Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

VISION Research Fellows presenting at Crime Surveys User Conference 2024

This event is in the past.

VISION researchers Dr Polina Obolenskaya, Dr Elouise Davies and Dr Niels Blom will present at the Crime Surveys User Conference 2024 on 6 February 2024 in Islington, London.

The event brings data producers and data users together to share updates on the development of the surveys and to showcase research that is being carried out using the data. It is organised by the UK Data Service in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics, Scottish Government and the Home Office.

Polina, Elouise and Niels will each discuss the findings of their recent research using the Crime Survey for England and Wales:

  • Polina – The rise, fall and stall of violence in England and Wales: How have risks of violence changed for groups in the population?
  • Elouise – When there’s more than one assailant: Understanding variation in victims’ needs
  • Niels – New Crime Survey for England and Wales integration code: Impact for investigating
    rare events such as different intimate partner perpetrator types

For further information on the conference, please see: Crime Surveys User Conference 2024.

For further information on their research, please contact Polina, Elouise or Niels at: polina.obolenskaya@city.ac.uk; e.davies4@lancaster.ac.uk; or niels.blom@city.ac.uk

Photo by Headway on Unsplash