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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

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      The impact and risk factors of adolescent domestic abuse: A rapid systematic review

        As a phenomenon, abusive behavior between adolescents in intimate relationships remains relatively invisible, due in part to the persistent yet unfounded assumption that domestic abuse is something that occurs between adults. There is an emerging body of evidence indicating that both victimization and perpetration in intimate partner relationships can and do occur well before adulthood.

        This review seeks to improve understandings of intimate partner abuse between adolescents, focusing in particular on younger adolescents below the age of 16 and the impacts and risk and protective factors.

        VISION researchers Dr Ruth Weir, Dr Olumide Adisa and Dr Niels Blom, with their collaborators, conducted a rapid systematic review by searching three electronic databases (PsycInfo, Embase, and Social Sciences Citation Index). The team utilized pre-existing systematic reviews to identify relevant primary studies. Findings of the included studies were described and summarized using narrative synthesis.

        Seventy-nine studies were identified for inclusion. Synthesis of the findings of these studies identified five categories of risk and protective factors, including bullying and parental intimate partner violence, social and cultural factors, school and neighborhood environment and health and wellbeing. However, the review also identified a gap of qualitative research and a lack of attention to how ADA intersects with cultural factors, gender differences, criminalization, and poor mental health. Many of the studies report on school-based settings, limiting understanding of the role of neighborhood factors in prevention, protection and recovery. Participatory research on help-seeking behaviors of adolescents is rare.

        The review synthesized risk and protective factors associated with ADA, especially those occurring between younger adolescents. It highlighted the complex interplay and overlap between using and experiencing violence and abuse and the need for systematic research to inform the development of advocacy, interventions and prevention that is right for young people.

        Highlights from the VISION ADA rapid review: Gaps, limitations & considerations for future research

        • Little recent academic interest on ADA in the UK
        • Focus in existing global literature on physical or sexual violence but less so on coercive control or emotional / psychological abuse
        • Lack of systematic examination of long-term consequences of ADA on wellbeing
        • Lack of intersectional analysis (ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc)
        • Little exploration of adolescents’ help-seeking behaviours and attitudes to different kinds of possible support
        • Research design limitations

        To download the paper: Adolescent Domestic Abuse and Its Consequences: A Rapid Systematic Review | Journal of Family Violence

        To cite: Weir, R., Adisa, O., Blom, N. et al. Adolescent Domestic Abuse and Its Consequences: A Rapid Systematic Review. J Fam Viol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-025-00813-4

        For more information on this rapid review, please contact Ruth at ruth.weir@city.ac.uk

        To view and / or download the list of systematic reviews included in this paper:

        SRs included in Weir ADA journal articleDownload

        Further ADA research across the VISION consortium:

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        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

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          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

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            Centring otherness with migrant women affected by domestic abuse

              Victims-survivors with insecure immigration status in the UK are subject to complexities that limit their access to safety, support, and justice. While campaigners have been advocating for more equitable pathways for provision and support over the years, migrant women continue to navigate hostile environments characterised by dehumanising language and anti-migrant bureaucratic systems.

              This chapter, written by VISION researcher Dr Olumide Adisa for the book, Otherness in Communication Research: Perspectives in Media, Interpersonal, and Intercultural Communication, reports on how a feminist dialogic approach (characterised by open, inclusive dialogue and a foundational understanding of social, economic, and political equality for women) was used to centre the often ‘silent voices’ of migrant women affected by domestic abuse.

              Feminist dialogical approach acknowledges the complexities that characterise the migrant victim’s journey through the system—the relationship between the self-other, in a peculiar hostile environment which views the other as a ‘threat’. Migrant women continue to endure this othering within agencies as they seek safety and support. For example, some professionals conflating ‘foreignness’ with ‘insecure immigration statuses’, when confronted with difference. This theorisation of self and other lends itself to a social justice-oriented practice.

              Using different art forms (co-produced with migrant women) and purposeful conversations, attendees were able to encounter migrant women as not a distant ‘other’ whom ‘we’ observe and theorise but as equal partners in the creating and reshaping on knowledge systems on safety, support, and justice.

              This chapter draws on quotes from survivors to funnel through a hopeful lingering over otherness that positions migrant women as deserving of consideration and care, and considers empowering aspects about the other that may often be dismissed in professional circles, but nonetheless are important as a protective element of a safety net.

              To download the chapter: Centring Otherness with Migrant Women Affected by Domestic Abuse | SpringerLink

              To cite: Adisa, O. (2025). Centring Otherness with Migrant Women Affected by Domestic Abuse. In: Magalhaes, L. (eds) Otherness in Communication Research. Palgrave Studies in Otherness and Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-73788-6_16

              For further information, please contact Olumide at olumide.adisa@city.ac.uk

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              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

                Intimate partner violence impacts affected by relationship status and offence type

                  Intimate partner violence and abuse has a detrimental impact on victim-survivors’ health and wellbeing. However, intimate partners include a range of different relationship types, which are rarely differentiated or contrasted in research. In this paper, VISION researchers, Dr Niels Blom and Dr Polina Obolenskaya, investigate with Dr Jessica Phoenix and Merili Pullerits, whether different types of intimate partners commit different types of violence/abuse and whether the injury and wellbeing impact on victim-survivors varies by intimate partner relationship type.

                  They estimate models for victim-survivors’ emotional impact and injuries using the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2001–2020). Intimate partner relationships are differentiated into four groups (current versus former partner, and spouses/partners versus boy/girlfriends). Violence and abuse are grouped into physical violence/abuse, sexual violence/abuse, threats, and economic crimes.

                  The team found that for both men and women, offences committed by current partners are more likely to involve physical violence/abuse than offences by former partners. Ordered logit models indicate that female victim-survivors of physical violence/abuse or economic crimes experience more severe emotional impacts when the perpetrator is their current or former spouse/partner compared to a current or former boy/girlfriend. Women’s risk of injuries from physical violence and economic offences are higher when committed by current compared to former partners. Few differences are identified for men’s emotional impact and injuries.

                  The type of intimate partner relationship is associated with type of violence/abuse experienced, and for women, with the resulting emotional impact and injury. Future research and policies aimed at reducing harms from intimate partner violence and abuse and supporting victim-survivors should therefore consider distinctions in relationships to deliver more targeted interventions.

                  To download the paper: Physical and Emotional Impacts of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse: Distinctions by Relationship Status and Offence Type | Journal of Family Violence

                  To cite: Blom, N., Obolenskaya, P., Phoenix, J. and M. Pullerits. Physical and Emotional Impacts of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse: Distinctions by Relationship Status and Offence Type. J Fam Viol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00786-w

                  For further information, please contact Niels at niels.blom@manchester.ac.uk

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                  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

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                    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