No Time To Lose As UK Declares Violence Against Women A “national Threat”: UN Expert

Alsalem acknowledged the robust legal framework for promoting gender equality, including the Equality Act 2010 and other legislation that applies across the United Kingdom. This framework is complemented by important legislation and policies in the devolved regions.

The Special Rapporteur noted that the ability of the UK and Devolved Administrations to realize the full potential of their legislation and policies on violence against women is undermined by a number of realities, including the dilution of the link between these policies and the UK’s international human rights obligations; a general critical discourse and positioning on human rights, particularly in relation to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees; and the fragmentation of policies on male violence against women and girls across devolved and non-devolved areas.

The expert highlighted the long-standing lack of adequate disaggregated data, including by sex, gender, ethnicity and disability, and the emphasis on sex- and gender-neutral approaches in the design and implementation of interventions as key challenges hampering effective monitoring and progress.

The Special Rapporteur expressed concern about how grassroots organizations and specialized frontline service providers working with women and girls are struggling to meet the needs of the most vulnerable women and girls – both foreign and national –subjected to violence, who fall through the cracks and are not covered by statutory service providers. 

The expert will present her full report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2025.