Tools and laws to fight gender-based violence
Did you know your government has probably signed legal agreements promising to protect you from violence?
Most people don't. And that's exactly what governments are counting on.
This short guide explains UK, international and regional laws, mechanisms and protections, essentially, the legally binding promises, that governments have made to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. They're powerful legal tools that give you the right to demand action.
You'll find:
What each framework actually says, in plain language
Which countries have signed up
How these agreements affect you
Practical ways to use them to hold your government accountable
Whether you're an activist, a survivor, a concerned citizen, or simply someone who believes women deserve to live free from violence, this is a starting point for turning promises into action.
Quick glossary
Ratification: When a country formally agrees to be legally bound by a treaty. Signing is the first step; ratification makes it law.
Due diligence: The legal obligation for governments to actively prevent violence, not just respond after it happens.
Shadow report: Alternative reports submitted by civil society organisations showing where governments are failing to meet their obligations.
Optional Protocol: An addition to a treaty that allows individuals to bring complaints against their government to an international body.
Convention/Treaty: A formal, legally binding agreement between countries.
UK laws on Violence Against Women and Girls
The UK has specific domestic laws addressing violence against women and girls. These work alongside international frameworks to create protections. Here's what you need to know:
Domestic Abuse Act 2021
What it does:
Landmark legislation that provides the first legal definition of domestic abuse in England and Wales, recognising it as physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and economic abuse.
Key protections:
Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Orders (DAPNs and DAPOs)
Prohibition of cross-examination of survivors by perpetrators in family courts
Statutory duty on councils to provide domestic abuse support in safe accommodation
Recognition of children as victims if they see, hear, or experience domestic abuse
Criminalisation of non-fatal strangulation
However, not all women will be protected by the new law. Despite pressure from women’s rights organisations, the government has failed to cover protection and support for migrant women in this law.
Serious Crime Act 2015 (coercive control)
What it does:
Criminalised coercive and controlling behaviour in intimate and family relationships, recognising that abuse isn't always physical.
What counts as coercive control:
Isolating you from friends and family
Controlling your finances
Monitoring your time, online activity, or location
Repeated humiliation or intimidation
Maximum sentence: 5 years imprisonment
Sexual Offences Act 2003
What it does:
Provides legislation on sexual offences, including rape, sexual assault, and exploitation. Defines consent and when it's absent.
Key principle:
Consent must be freely given. If someone is unconscious, asleep, intoxicated to the point of incapacity, or coerced, they cannot consent.
Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003
What it does:
Makes FGM illegal in the UK and makes it an offence to take a girl abroad for FGM.
Key provisions:
FGM Protection Orders available to protect girls at risk
Mandatory reporting duty for health and social care professionals and teachers
Maximum sentence: 14 years imprisonment
Protection from Harassment Act 1997 & Stalking Provisions
What it does:
Makes stalking and harassment criminal offences. Amended in 2012 to create specific stalking offences.
2025 update (Crime and Policing Bill):
Police can now disclose stalkers' identities to victims, even when perpetrators hide behind online aliases.
Modern Slavery Act 2015
What it does:
Criminalises human trafficking and modern slavery, with relevance to women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Maximum sentence: Life imprisonment for trafficking offences
Victims and Prisoners Act 2024
Strengthens victims' rights and introduces Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (replacing multiple previous orders with a single protection mechanism).
UK laws addressing digital violence
Digital violence, including revenge porn, deepfakes, cyberstalking, and online harassment, is increasingly recognised as a serious form of violence against women. The UK has several laws addressing this:
Online Safety Act 2023
Major legislation requiring tech platforms to protect users from harmful content, with specific duties around intimate image abuse and illegal content.
Key protections:
Tech companies must remove illegal content including revenge porn
Duties to protect users from content encouraging self-harm
Requirements for age verification and content moderation
Penalties for platforms that fail to comply
Why it’s important:
This is the UK's biggest attempt to hold tech companies accountable for online harms, including those disproportionately affecting women and girls.
Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (Section 33): 'revenge porn'
What it does:
Creates a specific criminal offence of sharing private sexual images without consent with intent to cause distress.
Covers:
Photos or videos showing a person's exposed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or breasts
Images showing a person engaged in sexual activity
Sharing via any medium (social media, email, messaging apps)
Maximum sentence: 2 years imprisonment
Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019: 'upskirting'
What it does:
Makes it a specific criminal offence to take photos or videos under someone's clothing without consent, and to distribute such images.
Maximum sentence: 2 years imprisonment (or up to life imprisonment if the offence is for sexual gratification and the victim is under 18)
Malicious Communications Act 1988
What it covers:
Sending threatening or grossly offensive messages, including via email, text, or social media.
Maximum sentence: 2 years imprisonment
Communications Act 2003 (Section 127)
What it covers:
Sending grossly offensive, obscene, or menacing messages via public electronic communications networks. This applies to social media harassment, threatening emails, and other online abuse.
Maximum sentence: 6 months imprisonment or a fine
Digital violence is not less serious than physical violence. The law recognises this.
The UK's accountability gap
Despite these laws, the UK has no ratified numerous international conventions on violence against women. This means:
No international oversight of UK progress
No obligation to meet the Convention's 'four Ps' standards
Women's organisations have less leverage to hold government accountable
Hold your local council accountable for providing safe accommodation and support for all women, regardless of migration status and campaign for UK ratification.
Page updated 20 November 2025