Gender Based Violence: Missing Persons
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure police are aware of the potential impact of violence against women and girls has on the number of people missing people.
Answered by Jess Phillips
Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and we’ve made it our mission to halve it in a decade. We are deploying the full power of the state through our VAWG Strategy, which was published on 18th December 2025.
Every missing person case deserves a swift and thorough response from all safeguarding agencies. We also recognise the link between a person going missing and their vulnerability to violence against women and girls, which is why tackling VAWG remains central to our approach.
The Missing Persons Authorised Professional Practice, established by the College of Policing, provides a comprehensive national framework that police forces in England and Wales must follow in missing person investigations. Within this, the National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes an annual report setting out available data on missing persons.
Missing People Ltd has been in receipt of Home Office funding for its core support services since 2011, including its helpline. This is in recognition of the work of the police as a multiagency safeguarding partner and the role in some missing cases.
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