Over the past year we have seen a growing connection in the public domain between the role society and the state play in the perpetuation of violence against women and girls. How not only government practice and policy have a direct impact on women’s lives, but how misogynistic bias inherent within our institutions, contributes to an oversight of service provision for the most vulnerable in our society.

The UK government response to Covid-19 initially oversaw the impact that an enforced lockdown would have on victims of domestic abuse and the inevitability around an escalation of violence. Their aversion to addressing the gravity of the issue fed a societal impression that violence against women and girls in domestic settings was not a state issue, but a personal one.

Support services for victims were once again, under fire and overwhelmed, with little provision at first to support the increase and complexity in demand. As the year has gone on, extra funding was secured for services but access to justice for victims has not improved, and barriers to victims reporting incidents are still prevalent.

Bringing up questions around what strategies the government needs in order to address the issue and also the obstacles that will prevent action from unfolding. The panel talk will addressed the role our governing state and perceptions around how violence manifests in society, contribute to ongoing violence against women and girls with insight from prevalent women in the field of policy, activism and law.