CPS Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2025-2030[1] (the “Strategy”) aiming to improve casework quality and increase trust in the handling of VAWG offences with clear implications for youth justice.
DETAILS
In the UK, there is no specific offence of ‘violence against women and girls’ and it is a term that describes a range of crimes and behaviours, such as:
- Rape and sexual offending (including upskirting and cyberflashing);
- child sexual abuse and exploitation;
- human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation;
- domestic abuse[2];
- stalking or harassment;
- ‘honour’ based abuse, forced marriage and child marriage; and
- female genital mutilation and other harmful practices.
The CPS recognises VAWG as a form of discrimination against women and girls and a fundamental issue of human rights. The CPS will always prosecute VAWG cases when the legal test[3] is met.
In the Strategy, the CPS has two main priorities:
Priority 1: Increased casework quality
VAWG offending is evolving and advances in technology are enabling new ways of facilitating offending, such as cyberflashing and deepfakes, the use of tracking apps and apps enabling offenders to target victims online. To tackle these challenges, the CPS is taking a ‘suspect-centric, victim-focused and trauma-informed approach’ to VAWG casework, which is aimed at placing the ‘emphasis on assessing the actions of the suspect, focusing on the needs of the victim, and responding and communicating in a way as to reduce further trauma’. The hope is that prosecutors will place greater emphasis on assessing the actions of the suspect while recognising trauma. This is significant where a child defendant may also be a victim of abuse, exploitation or coercion.
Priority 2: Trust
The CPS aims to improve how victims are informed and supported throughout the criminal justice process, while ensuring prosecutors consider whether suspects or defendants may themselves be victims of VAWG. The Strategy also emphasises strengthening policy through engagement and scrutiny, increasing transparency through published performance data, and using local insights and scrutiny panels to monitor trends and performance.
COMMENTARY
The Strategy confirms that prosecutors will adopt a suspect-centric, victim-focused and trauma-informed approach, placing greater emphasis on assessing the actions of the suspect while recognising the impact of trauma. This is particularly significant in youth cases where a child defendant may also be a victim of abuse, exploitation or coercion.
The CPS also highlights the growth of technology-facilitated abuse, meaning youth practitioners should expect continued focus on digital evidence and peer-on-peer sexual offending. Prosecutors are encouraged to explore reasonable lines of enquiry where a suspect has a history of VAWG, which may be relevant to mitigation, charging decisions and diversion in youth cases.
Finally, increased partnership working and greater transparency through published performance data may influence local engagement between the CPS and Youth Justice Services.
Although not youth-specific, the Strategy’s emphasis on trauma-informed practice, digital offending and recognising defendants as victims has clear relevance for youth justice services and defence practitioners.
Sources:
[2] As noted in the Strategy, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises the devastating impact that domestic abuse can have on children. Section 3 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 specifically provides that a child (under 18 years old), who sees, hears, or experiences the effects of domestic abuse and is related to the victim or the suspect is also to be regarded as a victim of domestic abuse.
[3]https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/code-crown-prosecutors