Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)

The United Nations defines Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) as:

“Any act of gender-based violence that is directed at a woman because she is a woman or acts of violence which are suffered disproportionally by women, that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to a woman or girl, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”

The UN Declaration is based on the concept that gender-based violence is predominately a pattern of behaviour perpetrated by men against women.

That is not to say that men and boys, and others who may not identify as women or girls, do not similarly experience these types of abuse and violence, and we recognise this in both our strategic community safety assessment, our community safety plan, and the services we commission.  

However, Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) is not a series of isolated incidents or assaults which an individual experiences. It occurs as part of a system of oppressive patterns of behaviour and practises, that achieve power and control over women and girls, making them more susceptible to harm. This is why women and girls are disproportionately affected by these offences.  

In keeping with the National VAWG Strategy and National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) definition of VAWG the following will be considered within the scope of the strategy:  

• Domestic abuse.  
• Rape and serious sexual offences.  
• Child sexual abuse and exploitation.
• Modern slavery and human trafficking  
• Honour based abuse.  
• Stalking and harassment 
• Adult sexual exploitation and sex work 
• Spiking
• Tech enabled VAWG which includes online harassment.  
• VAWG in different space types: public, private and in places of education  Spiking (with alcohol or any other substances).

The impact of these offences is far reaching. When women and girls are harmed, so are their families, their children and the wider community. This is why a specific Strategy is needed to address Violence Against Women and Girls.

Any victim of violence and abuse deserves to access support and help. It is important that men and boys are included in all aspects of prevention and awareness raising.

Technology Enabled VAWG

Technology enabled VAWG or ‘cyber VAWG’ is when technology, normally the internet, is used to perpetrate violence against women and girls. Technology has both exacerbated and magnified instances of VAWG with pre-existing forms of VAWG (e.g., stalking and flashing) made worse by technology and ‘new’ forms of VAWG such as revenge porn. Cyber VAWG stems from the same social and structural inequalities as ‘traditional’ VAWG, however, the internet increases the risks of VAWG due to anonymity, perpetration from a distance and perpetrators access to victims. There has been a continued rise in a merging of violence in online and offline spaces maybe because technology gives perpetrators unlimited access to victims.

Some examples of Technology Enabled VAWG include:

• Stalking - threatening behaviour or unwanted advances directed at another, using forms of online communications. Cyberstalking and harassment are often combined with other forms of ‘traditional’ stalking, such as being followed or, receiving unsolicited phone calls or letters, as well as ‘traditional’ forms of harassment. Stalking is the most reported tech enabled VAWG.
• Cyber Flashing – the act of someone using the internet to send an image of their naked body, especially the genitals, to someone who has not asked for them to do this or consented.
• Malicious Distribution or ‘Revenge Pornography’ – the disclosing (or threatening to disclose) private sexual photographs or films without the consent of an individual who appears in them and with intent to cause that individual distress.
• Online Grooming – when someone builds a relationship with someone so they can sexually abuse, exploit, or traffic them. In particular, children and young people can be groomed online or face-to-face by a stranger or by someone they know.