Facts & Statistics

Knowledge is power. Statistics can never show the true scale or impact of the epidemic of violence against women and girls, but they help us become more informed so we can respond better.

There are a lot of beliefs in society which allow violence and abuse to continue. For example, the harmful myth that women are somehow to blame for what happens to them.

As well as supporting women living with the impact of abuse, we do what we can to share information that can create real change and help women feel less isolated and ashamed.

Here are some statistics which show some of the scale of the epidemic of violence against women and girls.

All statistics are UK-based and come from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) unless otherwise stated.

Feminist

We recognise that violence against women and girls is a cause and consequence of gender inequality and that feminism is a necessary justice movement. We believe in the power and potential of women and girls and provide safe spaces for them to fulfil their potential. We believe in the power of providing services by and for ourselves and recognize that all services must be informed by lived experience.

Empowering

We recognise that women are the experts in their own lives and stand alongside them as they recognise and reclaim their personal power through our empowerment model of support.

Trauma Responsive

We stand firm in our belief that violence and abuse is a violation of a woman’s sense of self and that trauma is a natural, valid response. We are therefore trauma-responsive in our approach and advocate that ‘survival is not a disorder’.

Courageous

We advocate for women on an individual and collective basis. Through courageous activism, campaign work and educated, we are committed to driving the structural and systemic changes that are needed in our society to ensure full equality and safety for all women and girls.

Inclusive

By putting equity, diversity and inclusion into practice, we continue to create an inclusive community in which all women and girls feel a sense of belonging; they are valued, empowered to speak up, make changes and know that they matter.

Aspirational

We are innovative in our approach to providing responsive services to meet women and girls’ needs. We are aspirational for the future and believe that with the right support, any woman can reclaim the life they want for themselves.

Our vision is a just world in which women and girls are safe, respected and empowered to fulfil their potential free from inequality, violence and oppression.

Our mission is to reach women and girls at any stage of their journey and provide responsive, flexible and holistic support to meet their needs and empower them to move beyond the constraints of abuse, inequality and oppression. We recognise that women and girls are the experts in their own lives and experiences and we will stand alongside them in safe spaces as they restore their personal power, find their voices and become agents of change for themselves, their families and communities.

The reality of violence against women & girls

Child Sexual Abuse

Rape and Sexual Assault

More than 1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted in their lifetime. This amounts to 6.54 million women (ONS 2023)

5 in 6 rapes against women are carried out by someone they know (ONS 2023)

Justice for Survivors of Rape

Less than 2 in 100 rapes recorded by police in 2022 resulted in a charge that same year, let alone a conviction (Home Office 2023)

Domestic Abuse

1 in 4 women have experienced domestic abuse by a partner or former partner in their adult lives (ONS March 2022)

Sexual Harassment

97% of women aged 18-24 have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces (UN Women UK 2022)

In 2021, Ofsted found that 90% of girls experienced sexual harassment in schools (Ofsted 2021)

See Everyone’s Invited for more information.

Stalking

Around 23% of women have experienced stalking since the age of 16. The majority of stalking is perpetrated against women by their ex-partners following separation (ONS 2022)

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)

Between 2020-2021, 5,395 women and girls attended NHS trusts or GPs in England where FGM/C was identified (NHS 2021)

African women-led charity Forward says that 137,000 women in the UK are living with the consequences of FGM/C.

Forced Marriage

In 2021, the Government’s Forced Marriage Unit gave advice in 337 cases of forced marriage. 74% of these cases the survivor was a woman and in 35% of cases they were under the age of 18 (Home Office 2022)

So-called ‘Honour’ Based Abuse

It is difficult to record cases of so-called ‘honour-based’ abuse, where someone is threatened, abused, harassed or harmed to protect the family or community ‘honour’. The Home Office says that 1000s of women and girls in the UK are at risk of this type of abuse (Home Office 2022)

Sex Work/Prostitution, Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking

Women’s rights charity Agenda have estimated that 80,000 women are involved in sex work/prostitution nationally. Women involved in sex work/prostitution are much more likely to be subjected to violence or murdered (Femicide Census)

Research shows that the majority of women being sexually exploited in brothels are Romanian women who have been trafficked to the UK (APPG on Prostitution & the Global Sex Trade, 2018)

Online Abuse

Online abuse includes image-based abuse (sharing of images without consent and threats to do this), digital stalking, misogynist trolling, online hate speech and threats of violence. Black women are much more likely to experience abusive online hate comments (Amnesty International)

ONS estimates that around 8% of adult women experienced “cyber stalking” since the age of 16 (ONS 2022)

Our Values

Feminist

We recognise that violence against women and girls is a cause and consequence of gender inequality and that feminism is a necessary justice movement.

We believe in the power and potential of women and girls and provide safe spaces for them to fulfil their potential.

We believe in the power of providing services by and for ourselves and recognize that all services must be informed by lived experience.

Empowering

We recognise that women are the experts in their own lives and stand alongside them as they recognise and reclaim their personal power through our empowerment model of support.

Trauma responsive

We stand firm in our belief that violence and abuse is a violation of a woman’s sense of self and that trauma is a natural, valid response.

We are therefore trauma-responsive in our approach and advocate that ‘survival is not a disorder’.

Courageous

We advocate for women on an individual and collective basis.

Through courageous activism, campaign work and educated, we are committed to driving the structural and systemic changes that are needed in our society to ensure full equality and safety for all women and girls.

Inclusive

By putting equity, diversity and inclusion into practice, we continue to create an inclusive community in which all women and girls feel a sense of belonging; they are valued, empowered to speak up, make changes and know that they matter.

Aspirational

We are innovative in our approach to providing responsive services to meet women and girls’ needs.

We are aspirational for the future and believe that with the right support, any woman can reclaim the life they want for themselves.

Violence against women and girls is under-reported.

For example, 5 out of 6 women who are raped do not report to the Police (ONS 2021)

Many different types of violence and abuse against women are often repeated, by same and different perpetrators. They often include patterns of constant threatening and abusive behaviour rather than isolated, separate incidents.

Read more about this here.

Become more informed about:

Child Sexual Abuse, Rape and Sexual AssaultDomestic AbuseLearning disabilities and neurodiversityWomen in the criminal justice system

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