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Using Natural Language Processing in Domestic Homicide Reviews

Since 2011, there has been a statutory requirement in England and Wales to conduct a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) into any domestic abuse-related death: a multi-agency review into the death of a person aged 16 or over that appears to have resulted from violence, abuse or neglect from an intimate partner, family member or household member.

However, analyses of large numbers of DHRs are rare. One of the core challenges is the time and effort required to analyse narrative text within reports. Doing so manually is both time-consuming and resource-intensive and is a primary reason why researchers typically focus on only a portion of the available data. Natural Language Processing (NLP)—a sub-branch of artificial intelligence that enables computers to interpret and process natural language—provides a viable and scalable alternative by offsetting much of the heavy data processing to a computer.

In this study protocol, developed by VISION Research Fellow Dr Darren Cook and VISION Co-Investigator Dr Elizabeth Cook (both at City St George’s University of London) with Sumanta Roy and Rani Selvarajah of Imkaan, and VISION Co-Investigator Professor Ravi Thiara (University of Warwick), they outline a study to assess the feasibility of applying NLP to DHRs.

The VISION and Imkaan team outline a collaborative approach which balances the speed and scale of automation with the embedded knowledge and expertise of practitioners. This approach helps to ensure that outputs of NLP are sensitive and transparent about the biases common within datasets on violence and abuse.

Based on initial consultations, the team have identified a series of priority research questions for investigation. In addition, they outline details of an ongoing collaboration with one partner, Imkaan. The protocol describes the data access, and retrieval and analysis stages before summarising how feasibility will be evaluated. The protocol concludes by arguing that working with practitioners who hold deep contextual knowledge about the social realities of violence and abuse, including language, risks, and experiences, means that tools can be developed that are accountable to communities and appropriately applied to real-world problems.

To download the protocol: A collaborative approach to applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) to Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs): A study protocol

To cite: Cook D, Cook EA, Roy S, Thiara R, Selvarajah R (2026) A collaborative approach to applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) to Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs): A study protocol. PLoS One 21(5): e0348948. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0348948

For further information: Please contact Lizzie at elizabeth.cook@citystgeorges.ac.uk

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Commissioning Pathways for Domestic Homicide / Abuse-Related Death Reviews: Are All Deaths Counted?

Domestic homicide reviews (being renamed domestic abuse-related death reviews) have been undertaken in England and Wales since 2011. However, relatively little is known about the commissioning process for these reviews, including where notifications come from, if the types of cases being referred are changing, and the outcomes. Knowledge is also limited about who is involved in these decisions and who is informed when a decision is made.

For this project, Dr James Rowlands (University of Durham), VISION Co-Investigator Dr Elizabeth Cook (City St George’s University of London) and research consultant Dr Althea Cribb, used data requested from the partnership bodies responsible for commissioning domestic homicide / abuse-related death reviews about notifications and decision-making between January 2017 and December 2024. Their findings highlight the changing profile of cases, variability in decision-making, and gaps in communication and oversight.

To download the paper: Commissioning Pathways for Domestic Homicide / Abuse-Related Death Reviews: Are All Deaths Counted?

To cite: Rowlands, J., Cook, E., & Cribb, A. (2026, May 11). Commissioning Pathways for Domestic Homicide / Abuse-Related Death Reviews: Are All Deaths Counted?. https://doi.org/10.15128/r1kp78gg500

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VISION Policy Briefing: The role of health services in identifying and responding to teenage relationship abuse

 

 

Introduction

Teenage relationship abuse (TRA) is a growing public health concern that the current statutory framework is ill-equipped to address. Under-16s fall outside the legal definition of domestic abuse entirely, creating significant gaps in identification, referral and intervention at precisely the age when abuse most commonly begins. A Youth Endowment Fund survey of 11,000 teenagers aged 13 to 17 found that 39% of those who had been in a relationship had experienced emotional or physical abuse, yet no coherent professional or legal framework exists to respond.

This VISION Policy Briefing draws on findings from three place-based practitioner roundtables exploring TRA and conducted in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Northumbria in 2025. As the first in a series of sector-specific policy briefs it sets out what the health sector is currently unable to do, where the opportunities lie, and what commissioners, NHS trusts and public health leads need to do differently. 

Key recommendations

  1. NHS commissioners to include TRA identification and referral in domestic abuse commissioning frameworks, explicitly covering under-16s
  2. Integration of TRA content into existing safeguarding and domestic abuse training frameworks for all health professionals working with young people, including GPs, school nurses, emergency services staff, sexual health clinicians and mental health practitioners – with outcome measurement built in
  3. Clear referral pathways from health settings into specialist TRA support to be established in every area, regardless of the young person’s age
  4. Health and Wellbeing Boards to include TRA as a public health priority in Joint Strategic Needs Assessments
  5. School health teams to be resourced and trained to deliver TRA/DA content as part of PSHE, building on the school nurse model in Oxford and aligned with the Mental Health Support Team roll out
  6. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to develop protocols for identifying TRA among young people presenting with mental health difficulties
  7. Extend operating hours for young people’s services

To download the VISION Policy Briefing: The role of health services in identifying and  responding to teenage relationship abuse

To cite: Weir, Ruth; Barrow-Grint, Katy (2026). VISION Policy Brief: Teenage Relationship Abuse and Health. City, University of London. Report. https://doi.org/10.25383/city.32292564.v1

For further information: Ruth at ruth.weir@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Intimate partner relationship abuse between men: An interdisciplinary seminar

 

Wednesday 17 June 2026, 13:00  – 16:45, in person only

This free, interdisciplinary seminar brings together leading voices from research, lived experience, performance, and specialist practice to examine intimate partner violence in relationships between men and consider implications for policy, research, professional practice, and wider system response.

Register here: Ticket Tailor

Despite increasing recognition that abuse within intimate male relationships is a significant public health, social justice, and service delivery issue, it remains under recognised across many systems and disciplines. Survivors frequently encounter barriers to recognition, disclosure, and support, while policy, professional training, and public discourse have historically paid limited attention to these experiences. 

This event will explore the dynamics, impacts, and structural challenges surrounding abuse in this context, and consider how research, policy, practice, and public understanding can evolve to better respond. 

The programme combines research presentations, creative performance, lived experience testimony, and expert commentary to offer a multi-dimensional exploration of the issue. The seminar will include catering and: 

  • A brief research presentation on prevalence, dynamics, barriers to recognition, and current evidence gaps from Dr Steven Maxwell 
  • A monologue from He Kept Me Safe, a research based verbatim play developed from survivor narratives exploring abuse within intimate male relationships by Dr Edgar Rodriguez-Doran 
  • A keynote contribution from broadcaster, comedian and survivor advocate James Barr, reflecting on his lived experience through comedy and the role of storytelling 
  • A talk from Tanaka Mhishi, writer and researcher in masculinity, trauma and sexual violence, exploring masculinity, trauma, violence, and engaging men in conversations about healing 
  • Brief facilitated interdisciplinary discussion on implications for research, policy, education, commissioning, service design, and practice 

This event aims to stimulate critical interdisciplinary dialogue and contribute to wider thinking on inclusive responses to domestic abuse and sexual violence. 

 

Intended Audience / Invitees 

The seminar is intended for a broad interdisciplinary audience including: 

  • Researchers and academics across social science, health, psychology, gender studies, criminology, law, public health, and related disciplines 
  • Policy makers and strategic leaders working in domestic abuse, sexual violence, health, justice, equalities, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and public policy 
  • Health and social care professionals 
  • Mental health practitioners and psychological therapists 
  • Domestic abuse and sexual violence services 
  • Policing, criminal justice, and legal professional 
  • LGBTQ+ and community sector organisations 
  • Sexual health and public health professionals 
  • Education and professional training providers 
  • Students and trainees with relevant academic or professional interests 
  • Wider stakeholders with interest in trauma, masculinity, violence prevention, and inclusive service/system design

 

Programme 

1.00 pm: Registration and Lunch 

1.30 pm: Welcome and Opening Remarks 

1.40 pm: Research Presentation: Understanding Intimate Partner Violence in Male Relationships: Prevalence, Dynamics and System Challenges 

2.00 pm: Monologue: He Kept Me Safe 

2.40 pm: Facilitated Discussion and Audience Reflection 

3.00 pm: Break 

3.15 pm: James Barr: Lived Experience, Comedy, and Public Discourse 

3.45 pm: Audience Q&A 

4.00 pm: Tanaka Mhishi: Masculinity, Trauma and Engaging Men in Conversations About Violence and Healing 

4.30 pm: Panel Discussion / Closing Audience Q&A 

4.45 pm: Close 

Join us at this free seminar, 17 June, Northampton Suite, City St George’s UoL, Clerkenwell, London, 1300 – 1645. To book your place please register here: Ticket Tailor 

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VISION responds to Parliamentary, government & non-government consultations

Consultation, evidence and inquiry submissions are an important part of our work at VISION. Responding to Parliamentary, government and non-government organisation consultations ensures that a wide range of opinions and voices are factored into the policy decision making process. As our interdisciplinary research addresses violence and how it cuts across health, crime and justice and the life course, we think it is important to take the time to answer any relevant call and to share our insight and findings to support improved policy and practice. We respond as VISION, the Violence & Society Centre, and sometimes in collaboration with others. Below are the links to our published responses and evidence from June 2022.

  1. UK Parliament – International Development Committee – Inquiry: Women, Peace and Security. Our submission was published in March 2026
  2. UK Parliament – Public Bill Committee – Call for evidence: Crime and Policing Bill. Our submission was published in 2025
  3. UK Parliament (Library) – POSTNote – Approved Work: Violence Against Women and Girls in schools and among children & young people. Two VISION reports were referenced in their POSTNote published in August 2025
  4. UK Parliament – Public Accounts Committee – Inquiry: Tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG). Our submission was published in April 2025
  5. UK Parliament – House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility Policy – Call for Evidence: Exploring how education and work opportunities can be better integrated to improve social mobility across the UK. Our submission was published in 2025
  6. UK Parliament – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: Community Cohesion. Our submission was published in February 2025
  7. UK Parliament – Call for evidence on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Our submission was published in February 2025
  8. UK Parliament – Public Accounts Committee – Inquiry: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Government. Our submission was published in January 2025
  9. UK Parliament – Public Accounts Committee – Inquiry: Tackling Homelessness. Our submission with Dr Natasha Chilman was published in January 2025. See the full report
  10. Home Office – Legislation consultation: Statutory Guidance for the Conduct of Domestic Homicide Reviews. Our submission was published on the VISION website in July 2024
  11. UK Parliament – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The rights of older people. Our submission was published in November 2023
  12. UK Parliament  – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The impact of the rising cost of living on women. Our submission was published in November 2023
  13. UK Parliament – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The escalation of violence against women and girls. Our submission published in September 2023
  14. Home Office – Legislation consultation: Machetes and other bladed articles: proposed legislation (submitted response 06/06/2023). Government response to consultation and summary of public responses was published in August 2023
  15. Welsh Government – Consultation: National action plan to prevent the abuse of older people. Summary of the responses published in April 2023
  16. Race Disparity Unit (RDU) – Consultation: Standards for Ethnicity Data (submitted response 30/08/2022). Following the consultation, a revised version of the data standards was published in April 2023
  17. UK Parliament – The Home Affairs Committee – Call for evidence: Human Trafficking. Our submission was published in March 2023
  18. UN expert – Call for evidence: Violence, abuse and neglect in older people. Our submission was published in February 2023
  19. UK Parliament – The Justice and Home Affairs Committee – Inquiry: Family migration. Our submission was published in September 2022 and a report was published following the inquiry in February 2023
  20. Home Office – Consultation: Controlling or Coercive behaviour Statutory Guidance. Our submission was published in June 2022

For further information, please contact us at VISION_Management_Team@city.ac.uk

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VISION researcher receives funding for secondary data analysis

Dr Annie Bunce, Research Fellow at VISION, received funding from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy for her application, Exploring resilience, self-empowerment and wellbeing outcomes of women referred to specialist domestic abuse counselling services.

With the support of Dr Estela Capelas Barbosa, VISION co-Deputy Director, and in collaboration with Sarah Davidge, Head of Membership, Research and Evaluation at Women’s Aid, Annie will investigate whether and how receiving counselling from a specialist domestic abuse (DA) support service is associated with change in wellbeing.

She will analyse quantitative data from national DA charity, Women’s Aid, which includes information on various aspects of victim-survivors’ wellbeing at the start, during, and end of accessing services. Data analysis will reveal whether victim-survivors who receive counselling experience greater improvements in their wellbeing than those who receive other community-based services.

Annie will also examine whether counselling may be associated with greater wellbeing gains for some groups than others, and whether change in wellbeing is associated with the type/s of abuse experienced and other services received.

The analysis will show which factors influence the effect of counselling on changes in wellbeing the most, and which wellbeing indicators are most improved following counselling.

Findings will be shared via an academic report, blog, policy briefing, webinar and conference presentations.

The research will help to improve understanding of the relationship between counselling and wellbeing in the context of DA, feed into Women’s Aid’s ongoing work to ensure they are measuring the things most important to victim-survivors when it comes to their wellbeing and promote consistency in measuring wellbeing-related outcomes across DA services more widely.

Please contact Annie at annie.bunce@citystgeorges.ac.uk for further information.

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The establishment of the National Working Group on Teenage Relationship Abuse

Teenage relationship abuse remains one of the least understood forms of domestic abuse, particularly among those under 16 years of age, who fall outside the statutory definition within the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act.

To close the gap between research, policy, and frontline practice and ensure that young people are no longer overlooked, VISION researcher and co-Deputy Director of the Violence and Society Centre at City St George’s, Dr Ruth Weir, co-established the National Working Group on Teenage Relationship Abuse with Gloucestershire Deputy Chief Constable Katy Barrow-Grint in 2024. The group consists of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, third sector organisations, and young people with lived experience of teenage abuse from across the health and justice sectors for a holistic understanding of the problem.

Membership has grown over the two years and now includes the Home Office, Department for Education, the Cabinet Office, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office, College of Policing, local government (Islington Council), universities (City St George’s, Essex, Lancashire), NHS bodies, multiple police forces such as Thames Valley and the London Metropolitan Police, school trusts, and charities like SafeLives, Respect, Youth Realities, Changing Relations, and Victim Support just to name a few.

The group brings their expertise to shape ongoing national conversations on how teenage relationship abuse is defined, recognised, and responded to, particularly for those under 16.

Please contact Ruth at ruth.weir@citystgeorges.ac.uk for further information.

Service duration, determinants of case closure and case completion for victim-survivors accessing domestic abuse support services

Demand for specialist domestic abuse (DA) support services is high, in the United Kingdom (UK) and worldwide, and resource is scarce. The length of time victim-survivors spend in service depends on multiple factors, but what determines whether they successfully complete support, or their case is closed for another reason, is less well understood.

The purpose of the current study, Service duration and determinants of case closure and case completion for victim-survivors accessing specialist domestic abuse support services, was to improve understanding of the relationship between length in service, case completion and possible needs and vulnerabilities of specialist service users.

VISION researchers Dr Annie Bunce, Dr Elouise Davies and Dr Estela Capelas Barbosa analysed Women’s Aid Federation of England’s (WAFE) case management and outcomes management system, On Track, the largest national dataset on domestic abuse. 

To further examine the influence of reason for case closure, which the team explored as determinants of case completion, a series of multinomial logistic regressions were conducted, controlling for potentially confounding variables. Stakeholders from Women’s Aid and five other third sector organisations provided input into the study design and interpretation of results.

Most survivors accessing DA services needed community-based services (n = 210,599) and spent an average of just under three months in service. Those who needed more intensive support (e.g. accommodation, refuge) stayed in service for longer on average- 130 days and 115 days, respectively. The survival analysis revealed that cases were less likely to close for people with additional vulnerabilities. Results from the multinomial logistic regressions demonstrated that, for those whose case had been closed, additional vulnerabilities meant they were more likely to have disengaged, had a service-related closure or an unknown reason for case closure.

The limited supply of services impacts on the level of unmet needs for victim-survivors of domestic abuse. If services continue having to do more and more with less, they will be forced into a position of having to trade-off between spending time supporting people to cater to multiple needs and vulnerabilities, and getting people in and out of the door to ensure the slot is available for the next victim-survivor who needs it. 

Recommendation

  1. It is critical that DA services are resourced adequately to support those with multiple needs and additional vulnerabilities to complete a period of time in service. This is something that should be considered by commissioners of DA services.

To download the publication: Service duration and determinants of case closure and case completion for victim-survivors accessing specialist domestic abuse support services

To cite: Bunce, A., Davies, E. & Barbosa, E.C. Service Duration and Determinants of Case Closure and Case Completion for Victim-Survivors Accessing Specialist Domestic Abuse Support Services. J Fam Viol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-026-01052-x

For further information: Please contact Annie at annie.bunce@citystgeorges.ac.uk

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Improving police recorded crime data with natural language processing

Understanding and preventing Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) is compounded by long-standing data quality issues in police records. Accurate police-recorded crime data is vital for responding to DVA, yet it often contains missing values and inaccuracies.

Across all crime types, the quality of police data in England and Wales has been a concern. While there have been improvements in overall crime data recording since 2014, individual police forces still encounter difficulties adequately recording instances of DVA in police-recorded crime datasets. 

Correcting poorly recorded or missing data at this scale is non-trivial and beyond the capabilities of manual intervention alone. Fortunately, the increasing availability of computational solutions and machine learning algorithms such as text mining and natural language processing (NLP) can augment, and to a degree, offset much of this processing. NLP is supported by a growing body of interdisciplinary research, which shows that valuable information can be automatically extracted from unstructured data such as crime reports and case summaries through technology.

However, automated prediction systems are not without risk, particularly when applied in sensitive domains such as policing. Data inherently reflects societal biases that poorly designed AI solutions can amplify, and in the context of DVA, these biases may stem from underreporting of marginalized demographic groups or inconsistencies in police recording practices.

In their recent study, Improving police recorded crime data for domestic violence and abuse through natural language processing, VISION researchers Dr Darren Cook and Dr Ruth Weir (City St George’s University of London) and Dr Leslie Humphries (University of Lancashire), evaluated the capability of supervised machine learning models to automatically extract victim–offender relationship information from free-text crime notes in DVA cases.

Both models demonstrated that such tools could serve as cost-effective and efficient alternatives to manual coding, accurately classifying relationship type in around four out of five cases. The incorporation of a selective classification function improved precision for the most challenging cases by abstaining from low-confidence predictions, though at the cost of reduced coverage. This research represents a meaningful step toward addressing concerns about the completeness and reliability of police-recorded crime data.

Recommendation

Given that police-recorded crime lost its status as an accredited official statistic in 2014 due in part to weaknesses in data collection and processing, the application of data science methods to reliably impute missing values offers a promising route to restoring confidence in these records. Police constabularies are encouraged to use the available technology and implement text mining and NLP solutions to extract valuable information from unstructured data such as crime reports and case summaries.

For further information: Please contact Darren at darren.cook@citystgeorges.ac.uk

To cite: Cook D, Weir R, Humphries, L. Improving police recorded crime data for domestic violence and abuse through natural language processing. Front. Sociol., 24 November 2025, Sec. Medical Sociology Volume 10 – 2025 https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1686632

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New Animated Campaign Raises Awareness of ‘Honour’-Based Abuse

By Ladan Hashemi, Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Health and Health Policy at City St George’s University of London  

A new animation created by the Women’s Research Hub in collaboration with VISION aims to shed light on ‘Honour’-Based Abuse (HBA), a pervasive form of violence targeting women and girls. Informed by research and survey data on violence against women in Iran, this is the fifth animation in the Hub’s series on gender-based violence (GBV). The survey underpinning this work was designed by Fatima Babakhani, CEO of the safe house Mehre Shams Afarid in Iran.

HBA is widespread both in Iran and globally. Studies indicate that thousands of women and girls in Iran experience coercion, forced marriage, and other forms of abuse in the name of “honour.” Globally, HBA affects communities across the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa, and diaspora populations worldwide, often remaining hidden due to social stigma and cultural justifications. While reliable statistics are difficult to obtain because of underreporting, research shows that the consequences are severe: psychological trauma, physical violence, and, in extreme cases, death. The Centre for Human Rights in Iran reported that in 2024 at least 179 women in Iran were killed — roughly a woman every two days — a significant proportion of them as a result of so-called ‘honour’ killings. 

The animation presents real-life narratives, capturing the lived experiences of women subjected to HBA. Through carefully constructed scenes, it depicts situations such as family-imposed restrictions on women’s clothing and mobility, threats, humiliation, forced and child marriage, and the devastating consequences of upholding “honour” through coercion, including physical violence and ‘honour’-based killings. 

Some of the impactful transcripts featured in the animation include: 

Forced marriage: “They said there had been too many rumours about her, so her family forced her to marry.”

‘Honour’– Based Killing: “His brothers came, one by one, saying: ‘You’ve protected your honour. You’ve spared us all the shame.”

The animation brings these testimonies to life with a sensitive and empathetic approach, allowing viewers to understand the psychological and social dynamics of HBA, as well as its human impact. It emphasises that ‘honour’ is never a justification for violence: “No one is another person’s ‘honour’. ‘Honour’ is lost when we turn to violence — not when a woman chooses to live her life on her own terms.” 

The campaign also provides clear guidance for bystanders and communities on how to respond: 

  1. Avoid judging others’ private lives — everyone has the right to make choices about their body, relationships, and lifestyle. 
  2. Support victims of HBA without blame, and do not leave them isolated. 
  3. Be mindful of language: words like “honour,” “shame,” and “purity” can reinforce harmful norms. 
  4. Do not share private information or images that could endanger someone. 
  5. Speak up if you believe someone is at risk and contact trusted organisations. 

The animation was produced in collaboration with animators in Iran, experts supporting women affected by HBA in Iran, Fatima Babakhani, and the UK-based NGO IKWRO, which supports victims of HBA in the UK. 

The research team included colleagues Dr Ladan Hashemi and Professor Sally McManus from City St George’s University of London; Associate Professor Nadia Aghtaie at the University of Bristol; Dr Atlas Torbati from Goldsmiths University; Professor Birgitta Hosea from the Animation Research Centre at the University for the Creative Arts; and Dorreh Khatibi-Hill from Leeds Beckett University. The project was funded by the UKPRP VISION Consortium and the ESRC Impact Acceleration Award at the University of Bristol.

The animation will be officially launched on the Women’s Research Hub Instagram page during the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, providing an important opportunity to reach a global audience and raise awareness of HBA. Ladan and colleagues will also be discussing the campaign at a free lunchtime webinar on Monday, 8 December. For further information and to register for the Teams link, please see Webinar: Using animation to campaign against VAWG.

Previous animations in the series have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, narrated in multiple languages as well as subtitled, and it has been used in classrooms and at other events. We encourage its widespread use to improve awareness, and one animation in the series provides bystanders with potential strategies for safe intervention. 

By combining rigorous research, authentic survivor narratives, and creative storytelling, this animation series offers a powerful tool for raising awareness and driving action against GBV. It is a vital reminder that combating GBV requires both evidence-informed strategies and a commitment to amplifying the voices of those most affected. 

Link to Women’s Research Hub YouTube Channel 

Link to Women’s Research Hub Instagram Account  

For further information, please contact Ladan at ladan.hashemi@citystgeorges.ac.uk