Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce a single comprehensive and integrated policy framework for (a) protection against gender-based violence and domestic abuse and (b) support for victims that is aligned to the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Istanbul Convention.

Addressing Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) remains a key priority of this Government. We are committed to fighting VAWG crimes, of which domestic abuse is a high-harm and high-volume subset, warranting a dedicated strategy.

Our aim in having two strategies is for twice as much focus on these crimes. allowing space, within the VAWG strategy, for consideration of other evolving or less understood crimes, such as those perpetrated through digital or online means. The approach does not separate domestic abuse out from the umbrella term of VAWG, but allows a dedicated focus on it.

The two strategies will be complementary and work together to drive down VAWG crimes and their impact on society and will put victims and survivors at the heart of our response.

The UK signed the Istanbul Convention in 2012. Chapter IV (Articles 18-28) of the Istanbul Convention relates to protection and support for victims. As set out in the recent report on our progress towards ratification of the Convention, published on 22 October 2020, we are fully compliant with the articles which comprise Chapter IV.

We take seriously our responsibilities under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and were examined by the UN Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in February 2019. The Committee welcomed progress made by the UK in relation to violence against women and girls.