Archives

United to End Violence Against Women and Girls: An Online Animated Campaign  

    Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a pressing issue in Iran, a Middle Eastern country marked by its patriarchal structure and systematic and pervasive gender discrimination. Educational programmes addressing this issue are scarce, and cultural barriers often hinder open discussion. The United to End Violence Against Women and Girls campaign aims to break this silence through a series of animated videos in Farsi and English and images designed to inform public discourse and to empower victims to seek support.

     The United to End Violence Against Women and Girls project was led by VISION researchers Ladan Hashemi and Sally McManus, in collaboration with colleagues from other UK universities including the University of Bristol, Goldsmiths University, Animation Research Centre at the University for the Creative Arts, and Leeds Beckett University. 

    They worked with an animation production team in Iran, a social media advisor, and two advisory groups. The advisory groups were Mehre Shams Afarid, an Iran-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), and IKWRO, a London-based charity providing services to women victims of violence from the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region—to incorporate culturally specific insights.

    Although the project initially focused on Iran, engaging with the UK-based NGO revealed an interest in extending its reach. As a result, English subtitles were added to make the animations accessible to a wider audience. This collaboration helped the content resonate with audiences both in Iran and within the global diaspora community, particularly those from the MENA region.

    The animations are grounded in evidence from a survey of 453 women in Iran, which explored the manifestation of various forms of VAWG in Iran and women’s perspectives on how to eliminate it. The survey was designed by Fatima Babakhani, CEO of Mehre Shams Afarid.

    Key findings from participants’ open-ended responses to the survey showed that, despite structural inequalities and deeply ingrained societal, cultural, and religious norms that perpetuate VAWG, change is possible through education and legal reforms.

    As one survey participant noted: “Unfortunately, many still don’t understand what violence truly is. Raising awareness is the solution.”

    The first four United to End Violence Against Women and Girls campaign animations focus on coercive control, economic abuse, technology-facilitated abuse, and active bystander interventions, with two more animations in development.

    With guidance from an Iranian social media advisor, a digital strategy was developed to maximise the campaign’s impact. Instagram was chosen as the primary distribution platform, as it is the most widely used social media platform in Iran, with over 47 million users. The animations are also shared on YouTube to further extend the campaign’s reach.

    Influencers and women’s rights activists with followings from thousands to millions were partnered with to amplify the campaign’s reach. The online campaign officially launched 25th November, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.

    By leveraging evidence-based content and strategic partnerships, we hope to spark meaningful conversations and drive change across Iran and the diaspora communities from the MENA region.

    Join us in raising awareness and advocating for change. Please follow and share the campaign links on your social media to help spread the message.

    Link to Instagram page

    Link to YouTube channel

    This project was funded by City St George’s, University of London Higher Education Impact Fund (HEIF) Knowledge Exchange and by the UKPRP VISION research consortium.

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

    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 – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: Community Cohesion. Our submission was published in February 2025.
      2. UK Parliament – Call for evidence on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Our submission was published in February 2025.
      3. UK Parliament – Public Accounts Committee – Inquiry: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Government. Our submission was published in January 2025.
      4. UK Parliament – Public Accounts Committee – Inquiry: Tackling Homelessness. Our submission with Dr Natasha Chilman was published in January 2025. See the full report
      5. Home Office – Legislation consultation: Statutory Guidance for the Conduct of Domestic Homicide Reviews. Our submission was published on the VISION website in July 2024.
      6. UK Parliament – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The rights of older people. Our submission was published in November 2023
      7. UK Parliament  – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The impact of the rising cost of living on women. Our submission was published in November 2023
      8. UK Parliament – Women and Equalities Committee – Inquiry: The escalation of violence against women and girls. Our submission published in September 2023
      9. 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
      10. Welsh Government – Consultation: National action plan to prevent the abuse of older people. Summary of the responses published in April 2023
      11. 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
      12. UK Parliament – The Home Affairs Committee – Call for evidence: Human Trafficking. Our submission was published in March 2023
      13. UN expert – Call for evidence: Violence, abuse and neglect in older people. Our submission was published in February 2023
      14. 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
      15. 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

      Photo by JaRiRiyawat from Adobe Stock downloads (licensed)

      Implications of changing domestic abuse measurement on the Crime Survey for England & Wales

        The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is making a major decision this month on the future of Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) Domestic abuse measurement and monitoring.

        Last year, ONS ran an experiment where half of the CSEW sample got the domestic abuse module used since 2005, and the other half got a new module that is not comparable with the previous one. ONS intend to move over entirely to the new module in the next data collection (2025/26).

        Loss of the existing module has major implications: it is world-leading, uses globally comparable items, and with trend data going back to 2005. Without consistently administered core items from that module, it will no longer be possible to:

        • Produce long-term trends over time in domestic abuse for England and Wales.
        • Group a decade of survey years together to have enough cases to robustly examine domestic abuse in particular regions, minoritised groups, and by other protected characteristics for many years. This is essential for understanding inequalities in violence and subsequent service contact, and whether these are changing.

        The new module is problematic for many reasons:

        • Is not a standardised measure, has undergone little validation or psychometric testing, and is not comparable with anything used previously or in any other country or study.  
        • It separates data collection between former and current partner based on relationship status at the time of the interview, not at the time of abuse. This distinction creates confusion for interpretation of analysis and may be misinterpreted. The distinction is also problematic for classification of casual and other relationship types.
        • The overhaul of the module was intended to align measurement with the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 definition, but it appears that domestic abuse as recognised by that Act cannot be identified by this module.

        We urgently recommend that before losing this world-leading time series and relying on an untested, not comparable, and flawed new approach to DA measurement in England and Wales, that ONS:

        1. Pause: continue the split-sample data collection for one more year.
        2. Test the new approach: fully compare data collected using the new and old modules data so the validity and utility of the new measures can be evaluated appropriately, and its impact on inequalities assessed.
        3. Publish these results publicly: and fully consult once stakeholders understand all the implications of having data collected in each way before the decision to roll out new data collection is finalised.
        4. With this information, then compare all options: such as maintaining some of the existing questions alongside adding new coercive control items. This straightforward approach would ensure the utility of the survey for national trends (in both England and Wales) and analysis of inequalities and minoritised groups, while also improving the measurement of coercive control.

        We urge others who feel similarly to contact ONS at CrimeStatistics@ons.gov.uk  or contact us at VISION_Management_Team@city.ac.uk if you would like to discuss.

        Note that ONS is planning a raft of further changes with similar implications for trends and analysis of minoritised groups, including:

        • Removal of the sexual victimisation module from next data collection (2025/26), with redevelopment at some future date.
        • Removal and redevelopment of the nature of partner abuse questions, which cover DA survivors service use and police contact and are essential to understanding whether some groups are underserved by services.

        These will further undermine continuity of data for trends and the ability to analyse minoritised groups or by protected characteristics.

        For researchers interested in combining CSEW waves to enable robust analysis of inequalities by protected characteristics and for minoritised groups, VISION researcher Niels Blom has published syntax: https://vision.city.ac.uk/news/new-possibilities-created-by-crime-survey-wave-integration/.

        Photo from Adobe Photo Stock subscription

        Reaching a consensus: Technology-facilitated abuse conceptualisation, definition, terminology, and measurement

          The rapid development of digital systems has benefited modern societies but also created opportunities for the proliferation of harms. Specifically, the term ‘technology-facilitated abuse’ (TFA) describes the misuse or repurposing of digital systems to harass, coerce, or abuse. It is a global problem involving both existing and emerging technologies.

          TFA is regularly discussed in the context of domestic abuse, where it is perpetrated via a range of systems, including phones, laptops, and tablets, smart home/Internet of things appliances, as well as online accounts, that are either shared or accessed without the partner’s consent. In the United Kingdom, 32% of women and children who sought support for domestic abuse in 2022 to 2023.

          The research field lacks comprehensive and standardised measurement tools and in 2022, the UN Secretary-General emphasized that the absence of agreed definitions and measures impedes any efforts to understand the true scale of TFA. Despite significant work across research, policy, and practice to understand the issue, the field operates within linguistic, conceptual, and disciplinary silos, inhibiting collaboration.

          To address this, the present study led by Dr Nikolaos Koukopoulos (University College of London) in collaboration with VISION researchers Dr Madeleine Janickyj and Dr Leonie Tanczer used the Delphi technique to reach a consensus on TFA conceptualization, definition, terminology, and measurement among subject experts.

          Following a literature review, a global, cross-disciplinary sample of academics, practitioners, and policymakers (n = 316) reflected on TFA across three survey rounds. The results showed both aligned and opposing perspectives. “Technology” and “facilitated” were the most preferable terms. Still, there was uncertainty regarding the need for additional terminologies to denote the scope of abuse, such as gendered descriptors. Participants had little familiarity with existing TFA measurement tools, with two-thirds unaware of any.

          Most experts agreed on conceptualising TFA based on the perpetrator’s behaviour, the victim’s harm and impact, and consent. They also supported an expansive TFA definition, beyond intimate relationships, that can involve groups and communities as perpetrators or targets. However, they were more reluctant to perceive TFA as a distinct abuse form, or one guided by social norms, legal thresholds, or involving child perpetrators.

          Recommendations:

          • The fragmentation and contrasting conceptualisations of TFA observed in this research underscore the need for greater cross-disciplinary communication among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to move closer toward a unified understanding of TFA. Some form of standardization is particularly crucial, given the rapidly developing ways existing and emerging technologies are weaponized in the digital realm. Concrete, practical steps could help bridge these divides by consolidating published work into a searchable database. This could include suggestions for conceptually similar terminology across various sectors and subject areas.
          • Furthermore, an interactive online map of key TFA stakeholders and research groups could facilitate greater collaboration and knowledge-sharing, which the research team is now working on.

          To download the paper: Defining and Conceptualizing Technology-Facilitated Abuse (“Tech Abuse”): Findings of a Global Delphi Study – Nikolaos Koukopoulos, Madeleine Janickyj, Leonie Maria Tanczer, 2025

          To cite the paper: Koukopoulos, N., Janickyj, M., & Tanczer, L. M. (2025). Defining and Conceptualizing Technology-Facilitated Abuse (“Tech Abuse”): Findings of a Global Delphi Study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241310465

          Illustration from Adobe Photo Stock subscription

          Systems analysis of service coordination in domestic abuse, primary care and child mental health services

            The impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on parental and child mental health is well documented, as is the associated increased use of healthcare services by survivors of IPV. UK policy emphasises the importance of partnership working between health services and domestic abuse agencies, along with clear referral pathways for victims of violence and abuse and co-ordinated local responses. However, in general, current policy and guidance is focused on the response to adult victims with more limited advice as to how this should be operationalised for working with children.

            With first author Dr Claire Powell (University College of London), VISION researchers Dr Olumide Adisa and Professor Gene Feder and others explored how services work together to support parents and children experiencing both parental IPV and parental or child mental health problems by drawing on the perspectives of professionals working in primary care, children and young people’s mental health services (CYPMHS), and domestic abuse services.

            The team conducted a qualitative study, interviewing professionals in geographically contrasting local authority areas in England. They carried out framework analysis using a systems approach and mapping techniques to understand the service interrelationships and boundary judgements of professionals.

            Results showed that

            • The relationships between domestic abuse services, CYPMHS, and primary care were complex, involving funders and commissioners, local authority strategic groups, and wider services such as schools and children’s centres.
            • Participants consistently identified a gap in the relationship between statutory CYPMHS and domestic abuse services.
            • There were mental health service gaps were for children living with ongoing or intermittent IPV and for children and parents with needs falling below or between service thresholds.
            • There was a gap in services for users of abusive behaviour to prevent future IPV.
            • Staff perspectives revealed differing views on treating the effects of trauma, and the co-ordination and sequencing of care.

            Improving the response to children and adults experiencing mental health problems in the wake of IPV requires a systems perspective to understand the barriers to service co-ordination. The findings indicate a particular need to address the gap between CYPMHS and domestic abuse services.

            To download the paper: Domestic abuse, primary care and child mental health services: A systems analysis of service coordination from professionals’ perspectives – ScienceDirect

            To cite the paper:  Claire Powell, Olumide Adisa, Lauren Herlitz, Shivi Bains, Sigrún Eyrúnardóttir Clark, Jessica Deighton, Shabeer Syed, Ruth Gilbert, Gene Feder, Emma Howarth, Domestic abuse, primary care and child mental health services: A systems analysis of service coordination from professionals’ perspectives, Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 169, 2025, 108076, ISSN 0190-7409, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.108076

            Illustration from Adobe Photo Stock subscription

            Addressing abuse in teenage relationships

              This VISION Policy Brief highlights emerging findings and policy recommendations from ongoing research and stakeholder engagement into abuse in teenage relationships carried out by the UKPRP VISION consortium.

              Abuse—whether physical, emotional, or sexual—within young people’s relationships is often overlooked in both research and policy. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) finds that young women aged 16 to 19 are more likely to experience domestic abuse than any other age group. Despite this high prevalence, this age group is less likely to be referred to support services. Furthermore, the CSEW does not cover individuals under the age of 16, leaving a major gap in understanding of prevalence.

              Key findings:

              • Lack of consistent terminology and recognition – various terms are used to describe abuse in teenage relationships, including ‘teen dating violence’, ‘adolescent domestic abuse’, ‘teenage relationship abuse’ and ‘youth intimate partner violence’. Both the workshop with young people and the roundtables identified that young people generally do not associate the behaviours they experience with any of these terms and are more likely to use language like ‘toxic relationships’.
              • Very limited UK research on risk and protective factors for under 16s – our rapid review found that in the last 10 years there was only one UK academic study that looked into risk and protective factors for abuse in teenage relationships for those aged under 16.
              • Importance of schools and communities – unlike adult domestic abuse, which is largely experienced in private, abuse experienced in teenage relationships is more likely to occur outside of the home, especially within schools.
              • Very difficult to measure extent of issue – due to the current Home Office definition of domestic abuse there is very limited and consistently recorded administrative data collected on those under 16 who are experiencing abuse.
              • Need to take a more radical review of systems – our discussion highlighted the difficulty of addressing abuse in teenage relationships within the current systems.

              Recommendations for change:

              • Develop a national strategy – prevention and early intervention
              • Explore support for young people – victims and those carrying out harmful behaviours
              • Commission research into under 16s – including those with lived experience and taking a whole systems approach
              • Improve measurement in under 16s
              • Agree terminology and produce an associated education programme

              To download the policy briefing: VISION Policy Brief: Addressing Abuse in Teenage Relationships

              To cite: Weir, Ruth; Barrow-Grint, Katy (2025). VISION Policy Brief: Addressing Abuse in Teenage Relationships. City, University of London. Report. https://doi.org/10.25383/city.26539906.v1

              For further information, please contact: Ruth at ruth.weir@city.ac.uk

              Domestic abuse in cancer care: Improving the identification and support

                Although few studies have explored people’s experiences of domestic abuse and cancer, we know the two co-occur. The few studies we do have show that cancer can trigger an escalation of abuse. But there are no published domestic abuse interventions in the cancer setting.

                In an attempt to plug that gap, Sandi Dheensa, University of Bristol researcher, and colleagues, including VISION Deputy Director Estela Capelas Barbosa, have conducted a service evaluation on a domestic abuse intervention for hospital-based cancer professionals. Their study, Identifying and responding to domestic abuse in cancer care: a mixed methods service evaluation of a training and support intervention – European Journal of Oncology Nursing, is the first to evaluate a DA training (and support) intervention for cancer professionals in England.

                The key findings demonstrate that cancer and DA frequently co-occur, and that training and support intervention of hospital-based cancer staff increased the rate of DA identifications. There is an appetite for DA and cancer training amongst hospital-based cancer staff.

                The evaluation contributes further evidence of the benefit of hospital-based domestic abuse coordinator roles and contributes new evidence for the feasibility of adapting the role for a specific context.

                To read the article or download the paper free of charge:

                Identifying and responding to domestic abuse in cancer care: a mixed methods service evaluation of a training and support intervention – European Journal of Oncology Nursing

                To cite:

                Identifying and responding to domestic abuse in cancer care: a mixed methods service evaluation of a training and support intervention. Dheensa, Sandi et al. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, Volume 0, Issue 0, 102724

                Or for further information, please contact Sandi at sandi.dheensa@bristol.ac.uk

                Photograph from Adobe Photo Stock subscription

                VAWG data dashboard consultation highlights usefulness of tool

                  The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) developed a prototype violence against women and girls (VAWG) data dashboard in 2022. The webpages presented statistics and charts on violence against women and girls in England and Wales, drawing on multiple sources. However, due to reprioritisation at ONS, maintenance of the dashboard stopped and as of April 2024 it was no longer accessible.

                  VISION developed a consultation to ascertain the usefulness of a VAWG data dashboard as a result. The call was open from March to May 2024, and 102 responses were received. Most participants responded in their capacity as individuals (n=61), although 25 stated that they were responding on behalf of an organisation and four on behalf of a group. Some participants both responded as an individual and on behalf of an organisation or group.

                  Consultation participants responded as people from across a variety of roles and sectors. The
                  most commonly cited were working in research or education (n=40) and in policy or planning
                  (n=28), 27 people responded as someone with lived experience and 13 as members of the
                  public. The remainder comprised those in service provision (n=17), a campaign role (n=10) or
                  some other capacity (8).

                  Consultation results

                  Many participants had heard of the data dashboard before the VISION consultation (n=51), although 28 reported that they had not. Of those who had heard of the dashboard before, most had made use of it (n=39).

                  Most participants reported that having a dashboard that brought together data on violence
                  and abuse would help them either ‘somewhat’ (n=12) or ‘a lot’ (n=39).

                  Participants were asked what they found to be useful about the data dashboard:

                  • Data discovery
                  • Finding data and finding it faster
                  • Breakdowns and local profiles
                  • Comparisons
                  • Authoritative context
                  • Source material

                  Participants were asked for their thoughts on the limitations or what was missing from the dashboard:

                  • Wider coverage in relation to topics (health, disability, suicide, law, family courts, policy), types of violence and abuse (homicide, forced marriage, sexual violence), and particular groups (men, perpetrators)
                  • Deeper context in terms of much more nuanced contextual discussion of what the data means, ‘data without context is misleading’
                  • Critical interrogation such as the highlight of methodological limitations
                  • Interactive functionality with more scope for further breakdowns by local authority areas and police forces for example
                  • Improved search function
                  • Positive action such as a ‘section about work being done to support victims/reduce cases’
                  • Human stories meaning to go beyond numbers and to tell the human stories that underpin them

                  Recommendations

                  Through this consultation, approximately 100 people told VISION that a VAWG data dashboard is
                  something that they valued having and wish to have again. These included people with lived
                  experience of violence and abuse, people working in health, justice, specialist and other
                  services, researchers and academics across disciplines, and members of the wider public.

                  A violence and abuse data dashboard is needed because it has:

                  • Symbolic value: indicating that violence against women and girls matters to the
                    Government, and
                  • Practical value: as a functional and easy to use tool facilitating access to high
                    quality data spanning a range of types of violence, groups, areas and years.

                  In April 2024, ONS’ prototype VAWG data dashboard was withdrawn due to reprioritisation of
                  resources within that organisation. Since then, a new Government has come into office with a
                  stated mission to halve violence against women and girls within the decade. How progress towards this commitment is monitored will be essential to its success. General population health and crime surveys, alongside other data sources, will be key and that includes a revitalised, fit for purpose VAWG data dashboard. To instill trust and collective investment in this goal, a public platform for transparent monitoring is needed and the dashboard could be an effective, useful tool.

                  Next steps

                  VISION is a cross-sectoral consortium of academics and government and service partners
                  working with UK data on violence and abuse. We are aware that further development and relaunching of a data dashboard will require a collaborative effort from relevant departments of
                  state, data providers (not least ONS) and external funding. Drawing on our work in this area
                  we aim to coordinate this effort, with three initial objectives:

                  • Resource: Identify partners and funding source(s)
                  • Define: Agree clear definitions to best capture and monitor subgroup and temporal
                    trends in VAWG and violent crime in the population
                  • Design and test a revised violence and abuse data dashboard with people from
                    across sectors

                  To download the report:

                  Consultation: Is there a need for a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) data dashboard

                  Or for further information, please contact Sally at sally.mcmanus@city.ac.uk

                  Photo licensed by Adobe Stock online images

                  How much violence is there?

                    This VISION Policy Brief proposes improvements to the definitions and measurement of violence using the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), in order to more fully capture different aspects of violent crime, including violence against women and girls (VAWG). The briefing is aimed at researchers, national statistics offices, and others involved in violence research and policy. It draws on a paper recently published in The British Journal of Criminology, Definition and measurement of violence in the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

                    Key findings:

                    • The current definition of violent crime excludes key types: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) headline measure of ‘violent crime’ currently excludes sexual violence, robberies, threats of violence, and many incidents of violence where criminal damage was also involved.
                    • A broader definition would better capture scale, harm and inequalities: We use a broader measure of violence that includes these currently excluded forms of violence. This broader measure not only reveals a higher prevalence of victimisation in the population as a whole, it also reveals hidden inequalities. Women are more likely than men to experience sexual violence and threats of violence: excluding these from current estimates leads to rates of violence in women, especially domestic violence, being underestimated. The proportion of people physically and emotionally harmed by violence is also better estimated using this broader definition, particularly affecting estimates for women.

                    Recommendation for change:

                    • National statistics on violence in England and Wales should show violence estimates using a broader definition of violence alongside violent crime statistics to give a more comprehensive overview of violence and its societal impact.

                    To download the policy briefing, please see below. To download the paper upon which the policy recommendation is based, please see: Definition and Measurement of Violence in the Crime Survey for England and Wales: Implications for the Amount and Gendering of Violence | The British Journal of Criminology | Oxford Academic

                    The citation for the paper: Davies, E., Obolenskaya, P., Francis, B., Blom, N., Phoenix, J., Pullerits, M., and Walby, S. (2024), Definition and Measurement of Violence in the Crime Survey for England and Wales: Implications for the Amount and Gendering of Violence, The British Journal of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azae050

                    VISION Policy Briefing for downloading:

                    Violence Measurement_VISION Policy BriefingDownload

                    Violence in the workplace in the United Kingdom

                      Our latest research examines two nationally representative datasets, The Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) and the UK Household Panel Survey (UKHLS), to examine variance in the prevalence of workplace violence by industrial sector and occupational group.

                      The authors, Dr Vanessa Gash and Dr Niels Blom, found 28% of commercial businesses reported criminal victimisation on their premises in the past year, including 8% reporting violent victimisation (namely assaults, robberies, and threats).

                      Using individual-level data, the report also found 8% of employees had been threatened, insulted or physically attacked at work in the past year, and a similar percentage have felt unsafe at work, with public sector workers most at risk.

                      The authors call for enhanced recognition of the problem of workplace violence for a significant proportion of workers in multiple different sectors, alongside improved policies to minimise workplace violence going forward.

                      Figure 1. Prevalence of Violence and Fear of Violence in the Workplace by Sector, UKHLS data 2020-2021, weighted estimates

                      The report can be downloaded here: VISION Policy Report – Violence in the workplace in the UK: Business and individual-level exposure

                      Acknowledgements:

                      The report benefited from input and insights from the Home Office, who provided us with access to the Commercial Victimisation Survey used here.

                      Photograph licensed by Adobe Stock