The manifesto on which he stands set out a clear ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. The Government’s VAWG strategy began to set out how this could be achieved so that momentum must not falter and we must see them:
1. Commit to a whole-system, Coordinated Community Response to eliminate violence against women and girls.
2. Protect and sustain independent, specialist women’s community services.
3. Prioritise early intervention and prevention for women and girls facing trauma and abuse.
We were heartened to hear Andy Burnham commit, in his first speech, to ending rough sleeping. No one should be forced to sleep on the streets. But women are too often invisible in homelessness policy, despite experiencing homelessness differently — particularly those facing domestic abuse or leaving prison. Too many are sofa-surfing or trapped in temporary accommodation, unable to rebuild their own lives or their children’s.
Domestic abuse must remain central to this Government’s priorities. We urge Andy Burnham to hold Ministers to account. Devolution, local government reorganisation, NHS transformation and police reform must strengthen, not dilute, this ambition: driving innovation, multi-agency working and the sustained funding needed to deliver change.
The Government must also maintain momentum on reducing the number of women and girls in prison. The recent MOJ policy statement fell short of addressing fundamental issues: the need for an intersectional, gendered, VAWG and anti-racist approach to women’s experiences of the justice system. Reform must recognise how Black, Asian, minoritised and migrant women, and women with other protected characteristics, are disproportionately affected. It must also acknowledge that many women in contact with the criminal justice system are themselves victims of VAWG, with pathways shaped by trauma and systemic failure.
Finally, prevention and early intervention must be at the centre of any serious response to harm. Girls and young women need a gendered and trauma-informed approach that recognises their distinct experiences and delivers a specific, cross-government response. This is essential to disrupting the pipeline to further harm and criminalisation.
As Andy Burnham steps into this new role, the message is clear: commitments have already been made, and urgent work remains. Advance stands ready to work with the Government — but warm words will not be enough. If it is serious about halving violence against women and girls, reducing women’s imprisonment and ending the criminalisation of victim-survivors, it must now move from statements of intent to a funded, measurable, cross-government plan.
Media enquiries
For more information, please contact Tracie Couper, Press Officer at Advance, at tracie.c@advancecharity.org.uk or on 0743 2700 287.
About Advance
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- Advance’s vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, just and equal lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society. The charity works with women who experience domestic abuse to be safe and take control of their lives, and women who have committed crime or are at risk of offending to break the cycle.
- As well as providing direct support, Advance works with statutory services, government agencies and other women’s charities to ensure a holistic approach to the issues these women face.
- Women must be referred to Advance, via statutory services or the charity’s self-referral scheme. For more information about who Advance is able to support, please visit Get help
- For facts and statistics about domestic abuse and women in the criminal justice system, as well as Advance’s work, please visit Our impact
