Gender Based Violence: Prosecutions

This government is committed to halving violence against women and girls. This is my number

one priority as Solicitor General.

The CPS’s focus on tackling VAWG is driving an increase in charges across a range of VAWG

offences.

For adult rape prosecution, the CPS continues to transform its approach through the

implementation of their National Operating Model, based on robust academic evidence from

Operation Soteria. Through this work, there has been substantial increases in referral, charge,

and prosecution volumes for adult rape.

Similarly for Domestic Abuse (DA), the CPS and NPCC launched the DA Joint Justice Plan in

November 2024 with the aim to improve partnership working between investigators and

prosecutors, and over the last year this has led to increases in charge volumes by 10% and

conviction volumes by 7%.

To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and holistic needs of victims, work is

ongoing to deliver the activities within the CPS’s VAWG Strategy for 2025-2030. This will ensure

that prosecutors have the right skills and tools to prosecute VAWG effectively leading to a positive

impact on prosecution rates.