Report Summary
A Public Briefing on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Published in February 2024.
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What we mean by violence against women and girls (VAWG)
There is no single agreed definition of the scope of VAWG. However, the United Nations 1993 declaration defines it as:
"Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life".
While the abuse covered by the term VAWG is also experienced by men and boys, it disproportionately impacts women and girls. The Scottish Government, when referring to VAWG, also includes:
- physical, sexual and psychological violence in the family, general community or institutions. This includes domestic abuse, rape, incest and child sexual abuse.
- sexual harassment and intimidation at work and in public.
- commercial sexual exploitation including prostitution, pornography and trafficking.
- so called 'honour based' violence, including dowry-related violence, female genital mutilation, forced and child marriages and 'honour' crimes.
Police Scotland adopted this definition in its recently published VAWG Strategy, recognising that this definition is not exhaustive.
