Refuge responds to the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection’s Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment

Ellie Butt, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Refuge, said:  

“The publication of the first violence against women and girls (VAWG) and Public Protection Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment sheds fresh light on the alarming scale of abuse, underscoring what Refuge sees every day in its work with survivors. Significantly, the report highlights the ‘profoundly shocking’ scale and impact of domestic abuse, identifying it as the largest of five major threat areas.

In the year ending March 2025, an estimated 5.1 million people experienced VAWG, with 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experiencing domestic abuse. The impact of this is grave, with data showing that domestic abuse contributes to 65% of all VAWG-related crimes. The message is clear: we cannot tackle VAWG without an effective response to domestic abuse and the serious harm and repeat victimisation that it causes.

This assessment highlights the high percentage of unreported abuse. This reflects what Refuge hears firsthand from survivors, who often do not report to the police. Reasons for this include fear of victim-blaming, the risk of re-traumatisation and a lack of confidence in policing and the criminal justice system. Such barriers are even greater for Black and minoritised survivors, who face disproportionate and intersecting risks of harm, alongside additional obstacles to reporting abuse.

Refuge has long been warning of the exponential rise in tech abuse, which is reflected by this assessment showing that digital environments and the accessibility of AI are lowering barriers to offending and creating new opportunities for harm. Tech-facilitated VAWG is predicted to be the fastest-growing threat, but this is not just a future risk: it is already a devastating and pervasive form of abuse that features in almost every case reported to Refuge. Last year alone, referrals to our dedicated Tech-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment team rose by a striking 78%.

Image-based abuse is identified as a key emerging threat to both women and children. Refuge has repeatedly sounded the alarm over this widespread form of abuse which is commonly used as part of a perpetrator’s web of coercive control and carried out using emerging technologies including deepfake generators and hidden home surveillance systems. This is even more alarming considering recent Refuge research showing a decline in charging rates for intimate image abuse offences – findings that are symptomatic of unacceptably low charge rates for VAWG across the board.

This assessment must be a catalyst for action, not simply a record of the scale of the problem. Police must be properly equipped to respond to the rapidly evolving nature of tech-facilitated abuse, with sufficient resources and mandatory trauma-informed training for all officers. These reforms must also be implemented alongside a coordinated whole-system response that removes barriers to reporting and prioritises prevention. Only then can we build a future truly free from abuse.”