Government's process behind tackling violence against women worse than under the Tories'

"Ministers are gearing up for a policy announcement blitz before the publication of the long-awaited plan next week. Important voices in the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector have privately accused ministers of sidelining first-hand expertise and expressed concern that the strategy will not be sufficiently radical to achieve the government's flagship manifesto promise to halve the rate of VAWG in the UK in a decade."

"Initially expected in spring, the VAWG strategy was delayed until summer and then autumn. On Friday it emerged that schoolboys would be the target of the strategy, which the BBC reported would be built around the pillars of preventing radicalisation of young men, stopping abusers and supporting victims. But multiple sources from organisations working in the VAWG sector said they had felt sidelined during the devising of the strategy."

"This whole process has been incredibly haphazard. Another figure in the sector noted that after the murder of Sarah Everard, the Conservative government reopened a public consultation. We saw more senior ministers and had more contact with the secretary of state under the last government, they said. Ministers like Alex Davies-Jones and Jess Phillips have clearly worked hard on this, but it feels the machine has worked against them."

Ministers are preparing a policy announcement blitz ahead of publication of a long-awaited VAWG strategy that was delayed repeatedly from spring to summer and then autumn. The strategy reportedly targets schoolboys and is framed around preventing radicalisation of young men, stopping abusers and supporting victims. Organisations in the VAWG sector say they were sidelined during development and that first-hand expertise was excluded. Sector figures described the process as chaotic and haphazard and said engagement was worse than under the previous government. There is concern the strategy will not be radical enough to meet the manifesto pledge to halve VAWG within a decade.

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