Dear Prime Minister, 

Will your legacy be to end the epidemic of violence against women and girls in this country? 

2.1 million adults experience domestic abuse every year, the majority of them women¹. One in four women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime². Despite its prevalence, there is still a disjointed and inadequate approach to tackling domestic abuse, denying or delaying the right of thousands of women and their children to live free from abuse. 

Meanwhile the rise of misogyny in classrooms and in wider society, proliferation of sexist abuse and harmful content online, and systemic issues within policing have created a dangerous, hostile environment for women. This can no longer be tolerated. Survivors deserve better.  

As you look ahead to your first term, we call on you to make tackling violence against women and girls a key priority for your government by, 

1. Improving the system for survivors of domestic abuse.
   Give survivors access to the legal, civil and economic support they need to enable them to recover and rebuild their lives. We need an effective criminal justice and family courts response to domestic abuse, alongside improved access to housing and a commitment to welfare reform. 
    
2. Investing in specialist domestic abuse services.
   Insufficient and short-term contracts, gaps in funding, and recruitment and retention challenges exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis mean that service provision is inconsistent across the country. This is set against a backdrop of historical and chronic underfunding of domestic abuse support and increasing numbers of local authorities declaring bankruptcy. Funding of at least £238 million per year is needed for community-based services and £189 million is needed for refuge services³.
    
3. Making the country safer for women and girls.
   We are calling for root and branch reform of policing to tackle police perpetrated Violence Against Women and Girls, an improved response to technology facilitated abuse and the prevention of domestic abuse by improving Relationships and Sex Education for all children and young people. 

To find out more about the steps your government should take to act against domestic abuse, please see Refuge’s manifesto. You have the opportunity to act now and leave a lasting legacy, will you join us? 

Thank you.

¹ Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
² Home Office (2022), ‘Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan.’
³ Women’s Aid. (2023) Investing to save: the economic case for funding specialist domestic abuse support.