Violence against women and girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse, is a direct consequence of gender inequality. Whilst anybody, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity or any other identity, can experience VAWG, it is women and children that suffer the most serious consequences.

For that reason, VAWG needs to be understood in the context of patriarchal systems that have oppressed women and girls for many years at institutional and community levels. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), globally 1 in 3 women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. Nearly 2 out of 3 children exposed to domestic abuse are also directly harmed, according to SafeLives.

Notions of masculinity and femininity, and what we value as a society play a crucial role in the normalisation and acceptance of VAWG. Through education and robust safeguarding procedures we can change societal attitudes and in turn prevent VAWG.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises children as victims of domestic abuse in their own right. With that in mind, we encourage schools to use a whole-school approach in addressing domestic abuse preventatively. When working with us, schools can access a number of tools and resources to inform their teaching and learning, policies and procedures, staff professional development and wellbeing, and the ways of engaging and supporting families.