For anyone involved in the government’s strategy to combat violence against women, the National Audit Office’s recent report must have felt like a bucket of cold water. This is a societal problem that plenty of evidence suggests is getting worse rather than better – though inconsistent data is itself a challenge and makes firm conclusions tricky.

The prevalence of sexual assault against women in England and Wales is estimated to have risen from 3.4% of the population to 4.3% between 2009‑10 and 2023‑24. Over the same period the number of reported rapes and sexual assaults rose around fourfold – a change only partly explained by improved recording. Violence against women and girls now accounts for about 20% of all crime, despite an estimated reduction in the prevalence of domestic violence (from 9.2% to 7.4%). Digital technology has created opportunities for new kinds of offending – and left lawmakers struggling to keep up.

A report last year led to police being issued deadlines to produce

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