For the eleventh consecutive year, the solemn act of naming the 107 women tragically murdered by men over the past year echoed through the halls of Parliament, a stark reminder of the persistent and unyielding shadow of femicide in the United Kingdom. This ritual, performed by the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, serves not only as a memorial but also as an urgent call to action, yet the devastating reality articulated by Ellie Daniel, Head of Policy and Survivor Services at Women’s Aid, remains unchanged: "It is a devastating reality that, in all this time, the number of women killed has not significantly reduced." This sobering observation underscores a systemic failure to protect women from gender-based violence, a failure that demands immediate and comprehensive reform.
The Unyielding Toll of Femicide in the UK
The annual reading of names is a powerful, yet harrowing, tradition that began over a decade ago, spearheaded by activists and parliamentarians determined to give voice to the voiceless and to highlight the scale of male violence against women. Each name represents a life cut short, a future stolen, and a profound loss for families and communities. Women’s Aid consistently reports that, on average, at least one woman a week is killed by a male partner or former partner in England and Wales. While the figure of 107 women cited this year reflects a specific reporting period, data from the Femicide Census, a comprehensive record compiled by Women’s Aid and Nia, frequently indicates an even higher annual average when considering all forms of femicide committed by men, including those by family members or in broader contexts. For instance, the Femicide Census report for the period 2009-2018 recorded 1,425 women killed by men, averaging 142 women a year. The slight fluctuations in annual figures, whether 107 or 140, obscure the fundamental lack of significant, sustained reduction, signalling that underlying societal and systemic issues remain unaddressed.
These women are not statistics alone; they are mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and colleagues whose absence leaves an irreparable void. The vast majority of these killings are perpetrated by current or former intimate partners, highlighting the critical link between domestic abuse and femicide. This pattern underscores the inherent danger within relationships where power imbalances and coercive control are present, often escalating to fatal levels when victims attempt to leave.
A Decade of Remembrance, A Persistent Call for Change
The annual parliamentary reading, a somber and poignant event, aims to personalise the impact of femicide and to compel policymakers to confront the human cost of their actions and inactions. The tradition serves as a critical accountability mechanism, reminding those in power that these deaths are preventable. When it first began, the hope was that the list would shrink year by year, a testament to effective policy and societal change. Instead, the list persists, a stark indictment of the progress made.
Ellie Daniel’s statement reflects the deep frustration within the sector: "Change is desperately needed. While some significant steps have been taken – including the publication of the government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy – more must be done." This acknowledges efforts like the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the overarching VAWG Strategy, but critically points out their insufficiency in delivering tangible, life-saving outcomes.
Government Strategies and Legislative Frameworks: A Mixed Picture
The UK government has indeed enacted legislation and strategies aimed at tackling violence against women and girls. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021, a landmark piece of legislation, introduced a statutory definition of domestic abuse encompassing emotional, coercive, and economic abuse, alongside physical and sexual violence. It also established a Domestic Abuse Commissioner, introduced new protection orders, and placed duties on local authorities to provide support to victims in safe accommodation. While widely welcomed, its implementation has been complex and uneven, with concerns raised about funding and the capacity of services to meet the increased demand generated by the Act.
Complementing this, the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, most recently updated in 2021, sets out the government’s ambition to tackle these crimes. It focuses on four pillars: preventing VAWG, supporting victims and survivors, pursuing perpetrators, and strengthening the system. The strategy includes commitments to improve police response, bolster the criminal justice system, and invest in preventative education. However, the effectiveness of any strategy hinges on adequate funding, robust implementation, and cross-sector collaboration – areas where significant challenges persist. Critics argue that while the intentions are laudable, the execution often falls short, particularly in the face of ongoing austerity measures and fragmented service provision.
The Critical Shortfall: Refuge and Specialist Services
One of the most critical issues highlighted by Women’s Aid is the severe lack of safe accommodation and specialist support services. As Daniel stresses, "We know from our work with survivors that the most dangerous time for a woman is when she leaves her abuser, yet women are turned away when trying to seek refuge due to a lack of bedspace." This is not a new problem; year after year, Women’s Aid’s annual surveys reveal that thousands of referrals to refuges are declined, predominantly due to a lack of available beds.
In 2023, Women’s Aid reported that an estimated 6,630 women and 5,900 children were unable to access refuge services in England in one year alone. These figures are not just numbers; they represent women making the courageous decision to escape violence, only to be met with locked doors and no safe haven. This failure to provide immediate safety puts survivors at immense risk, potentially forcing them back into dangerous situations or leaving them vulnerable to further harm, including fatal violence.
The reasons for this critical shortfall are multifaceted:
- Chronic Underfunding: Specialist domestic abuse services, particularly those led "by and for" Black and minoritised women, disabled women, and LGBTQ+ survivors, have faced years of precarious funding. Many services operate on short-term grants, making long-term planning and sustainability impossible.
- Austerity Measures: Decades of public spending cuts have disproportionately affected local authority budgets, which are often responsible for commissioning these vital services.
- Increased Demand: Awareness campaigns, improved reporting mechanisms, and legislative changes like the Domestic Abuse Act have led to an increase in demand for services, outstripping existing capacity.
- Complex Needs: Survivors often present with complex needs, including mental health issues, substance abuse, and immigration challenges, requiring tailored, long-term support that generic services may not be equipped to provide.
Systemic Challenges in Prevention and Protection
Beyond the immediate crisis of refuge spaces, the broader system designed to prevent violence and protect women faces significant challenges.
- Police Response: While efforts have been made to improve police understanding and response to domestic abuse, inconsistencies remain. Victims often report feeling disbelieved or that their concerns are not taken seriously. The attrition rate in domestic abuse cases, from reporting to conviction, remains unacceptably high.
- Criminal Justice System: The journey through the criminal justice system can be traumatising for survivors. Long delays, low conviction rates, and the often adversarial nature of court proceedings can deter women from pursuing justice. Furthermore, sentencing for domestic abuse-related crimes is frequently criticised as lenient, failing to adequately reflect the severity and long-term impact of the violence.
- Perpetrator Programmes: A crucial, yet often overlooked, aspect of prevention is working with perpetrators to change their behaviour. While some programmes exist, their availability and effectiveness are inconsistent, and they are often underfunded. A holistic approach requires not only protecting victims but also holding abusers accountable and facilitating their rehabilitation.
- Societal Attitudes: Deep-seated misogynistic attitudes and gender stereotypes continue to fuel violence against women. Despite public awareness campaigns, there remains a need for sustained, comprehensive education from a young age to challenge harmful norms and promote healthy relationships.
The Call for Radical Reform of Commissioning Systems
Ellie Daniel’s demand for "radical reform of commissioning systems to ensure that vital services can continue to provide life-saving support" targets a core structural impediment. Currently, many local authorities commission domestic abuse services through competitive tendering processes that often favour larger, generic providers over smaller, specialist "by and for" organisations. These systems typically offer short-term contracts, leading to:
- Instability: Services cannot plan for the long term, invest in staff training, or develop innovative programmes when their funding is uncertain year-on-year.
- Loss of Specialism: The competitive nature can force organisations to broaden their remit to secure funding, diluting their specialist expertise in areas like supporting Black and minoritised women, LGBTQ+ survivors, or disabled women, who often face unique barriers to accessing support.
- Bureaucracy: The application and reporting requirements for short-term contracts consume significant resources that could otherwise be spent directly supporting survivors.
- "Race to the Bottom": Competitive tendering can drive down costs, leading to underpaid staff, reduced service quality, and an inability to meet the complex needs of survivors.
Radical reform would entail a shift towards long-term, sustainable, needs-based funding models that prioritise specialist services, recognise the value of core funding (rather than project-specific funding), and reduce bureaucratic burdens. It would involve a national strategy for commissioning, ensuring equitable provision across all regions and for all groups of women, rather than leaving it to the discretion of often cash-strapped local authorities.
The Broader Societal Impact and Implications
The persistent rates of femicide and the systemic failures in supporting survivors have far-reaching implications for society as a whole.
- Erosion of Trust: When the state fails to protect its most vulnerable citizens, particularly women from male violence, it erodes trust in institutions like the police, judiciary, and government.
- Economic Cost: Domestic abuse and femicide carry a significant economic cost, encompassing healthcare, criminal justice, housing, and lost productivity. Investing in prevention and support services is not just a moral imperative but also a sound economic one.
- Public Health Crisis: Violence against women is a major public health crisis, leading to physical injuries, chronic health conditions, mental health issues, and intergenerational trauma.
- Gender Inequality: The continued prevalence of femicide is a stark indicator of persistent gender inequality. A society that cannot protect half of its population from gender-based violence cannot claim to be truly equal.
Looking Ahead: A Future Free from Violence
The 11th annual reading of names serves as a powerful, albeit painful, reminder that despite legislative strides and strategic blueprints, the fundamental safety of women in the UK remains compromised. The voices of organisations like Women’s Aid are clear: without significant, sustained investment in specialist services and a fundamental overhaul of how these services are commissioned, the number of women murdered by men will tragically continue to hover at unacceptable levels.
The path forward requires not just incremental adjustments but a radical shift in approach. This includes:
- Guaranteed, Long-Term Funding: Securing stable, multi-year funding for specialist domestic abuse and VAWG services, particularly those "by and for" marginalised groups.
- National Oversight of Refuge Provision: Ensuring adequate, accessible refuge spaces across the country, linked to a national strategy to meet demand.
- Accountability and Enforcement: Strengthening police response, improving judicial outcomes, and ensuring perpetrators are held accountable through effective rehabilitation programmes.
- Preventative Education: Implementing comprehensive, age-appropriate education programmes in schools and wider society to challenge misogyny and promote respectful relationships.
- Systemic Reform: Overhauling commissioning systems to prioritise expertise, stability, and the diverse needs of survivors, moving away from a competitive, short-term model.
Only through such concerted and unwavering action can the UK hope to break the cycle of violence, truly honour the lives of the 107 women lost this year, and prevent future names from being added to this tragic annual roll call. The goal must be nothing less than a future where every woman can live free from the fear and reality of male violence.
