A Safer Future for Women and Girls: Prosecution

In recent years, prosecution has been strengthened through tougher laws and innovative measures to protect victims and hold offenders accountable. From new offences addressing online harms, to enhanced protection orders and tech-enabled enforcement, these changes aim to close gaps in justice and deliver faster, more effective outcomes.

2019 – 2021

End-to-End Rape Review

National

In 2019, the UK government commissioned an end-to-end review of the Criminal Justice System’s response to rape, prompted by a collapse in rape prosecutions and convictions between 2016 – 2017 and 2019 - 2020, even though sexual offence reporting had increased. This review highlighted systemic issues across the CJS, including high victim attrition due to delays in investigative processes, intrusive and disproportionate evidence requests, patchy victim support and inconsistent decision making⁴¹.

2020

Stalking Protection Orders (SPO) Introduced

Introduced under the Stalking Protection Act 2019, courts gain powers to impose SPO restrictions on stalkers, including technology-based monitoring. The 2025 Crime and Policing Bill expand this power, enabling judges to impose SPOs at the end of proceedings on conviction or acquittal without police making direct applications and replacing restraining orders that lacked tailored safeguards⁴².

2025

Electronic Monitoring of Offenders

National

Electronic tagging has long been used for persistent offenders of crime. In 2023, the Ministry of Justice evaluated the use of electronic monitoring for up to 500 prison leavers who were high risk domestic abuse perpetrators. These perpetrators were given reporting, curfews, exclusion zones and trail monitoring on a case-by-case basis to support risk management and reduce reoffending.

In 2025, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime released the outcomes for electronic GPS tagging of high-risk DA perpetrators in the London area, with a significant reduction (24%) in the proportion of offences from tag wearers after 24 months⁴⁶.

The UK Government has now outlined plans to expand the use of electronic monitoring for VAWG cases, to reduce the freedoms of perpetrators and to more effectively track and manage offenders⁴⁷.

2025

Sexual risk orders as a tactic to counter sexual violence against women and girls

National

Sexual Risk Orders allow courts to impose restrictions without a criminal conviction, aiming to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls. When Cambridge University analysed national and Metropolitan Police data, findings revealed an 84–93% reduction in sexual harm following an SRO, compared to increased harm where orders were not applied . Evidence suggests earlier intervention and data-driven precision could maximise harm reduction, positioning SROs as a promising preventive tactic⁴⁹.

2025

Top 100 VAWG Offenders

London

The Metropolitan Police recognised that a small cohort of VAWG offenders caused a disproportionate amount of harm towards women and girls. The force has created a monthly list of the 100 most harmful offenders of VAWG, calculated by the recency, number of offences and severity of offences using the Cambridge Crime Harm Index. This programme has resulted in 126 of the highest-risk offenders to be charged with 574 offences⁴⁴, and has been highlighted for further support in the recent cross-government VAWG strategy⁴⁵.

2023

Cyberflashing Legislation

The UK Government criminalised unsolicited sexual image sharing, giving cyberflashing legal recognition for the first time. This reform under the Crime and Policing Bill enables courts to prosecute offenders, closing a gap where victims previously had limited legal protections against technology-facilitated sexual harassment⁴³.