How Should Violence Against Women and Girls be Measured? Untangling the Concepts and Reporting on Data and Trends

The proposed Home Office measure of violence against women and girls does not meet the quality standards of the UK Statistics Regulator. Ten problems are identified. It should not include males. It should include girls under 16; be compatible with measures of offences.; include violence from acquaintances and strangers; FGM, forced marriage, and modern slavery; events (crimes) as well as victims; seriousness. It should not be dominated by domestic abuse less serious than the criminal threshold; or obscure the size of the gender gap in more serious violence by focus on less serious violence. It should include the marginal and vulnerable. Remedies are offered using data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, Homicide Index, and Police Recorded Crime.