Britons are more concerned about violence against women and girls (VAWG) than they are about immigration, a new report has suggested, piling pressure on the government to move more quickly to tackle the problem.
The report, being published by the Health Equality Foundation on Wednesday, warned that “decades of underinvestment and inattention have eroded women’s trust”, meaning that the “systems designed to respond to [VAWG]” are failing.
A poll conducted as part of the report, seen by The Independent, reveals that around nine in ten adults (88 per cent) say they are concerned about VAWG – placing it only slightly behind the NHS (91 per cent) and the cost of living (93 per cent).
Notably, this is well ahead of immigration on 77 per cent, and unemployment on 72 per cent.
The government has put a mission to tackle immigration at the centre of its agenda, forming a key part of Labour’s plan to win back votes from Reform UK amid devastating approval ratings.
While Labour has also pledged to halve violence against women and girls in a decade – a plan which was unveiled in December in its long delayed VAWG strategy – this has been a much less prominent mission than Sir Keir Starmer’s attempt to crack down on migration.
Health Equality Foundation founder Baroness Nargund, a Labour peer, told The Independent that while the government has “made meaningful progress placing women’s concerns at the heart of its agenda”, she urged ministers to implement policies that put women’s safety and wellbeing at the forefront “without delay”.
The survey also reveals that over the past twelve months alone, almost half (44 per cent) of women have avoided a place, route or situation because they felt unsafe, compared with 26 per cent of men.
Baroness Nargund told The Independent: “Concern about violence against women and girls now sits alongside the NHS and the cost of living as one of women’s top worries.
“That is not an abstract anxiety – it is about women feeling unsafe on their streets, on public transport and even in their own homes.
“The government has made meaningful progress placing women’s concerns at the heart of its agenda, much more than its predecessors.
“Its Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, the renewal of the Women’s Health Strategy, and the expansion of funded childcare are all welcome and important steps in the right direction.”
She added: “The priority now is delivery. It is imperative that policies that put women’s safety and wellbeing at the forefront are implemented without delay. If women can see and feel that change in their everyday lives over the next year, then trust can be rebuilt.”
The polling – conducted by GGF Insights between March 13 and 17 – spoke to 4,007 nationally representative British adults.
The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
