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The Crown Prosecution Service has highlighted the growing complexity of violence against women and girls (VAWG) cases, warning that overlapping forms of abuse are creating new challenges for prosecutors and must be addressed through major changes in how cases are built and presented in court.
Exclusive CPS data shows significant crossover between domestic abuse and a range of key VAWG offences, including rape, strangulation, coercive control, harassment, stalking, revenge porn and so-called ‘honour’-based abuse. The Service has now launched a five-year strategy aimed at improving outcomes, recognising VAWG as both a form of discrimination against women and a fundamental human rights issue.
Rising complexity and overlapping offences
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said the evolving nature of abuse means prosecutors must show courts “the full picture of criminality” rather than focusing on single incidents.
“In what is presented as a domestic abuse case involving physical violence, we often see many layers including strangulation, controlling or coercive behaviour and revenge porn,” he said. “It is vital we train our staff to recognise the full picture of abuse so the charges we make reflect the totality of the offending.”
CPS data illustrates the extent of these overlaps:
More than a third of rape charges are connected to domestic abuse
Over one in ten coercive control charges link to rape
Domestic abuse is associated with nearly 7 in 10 harassment cases
More than 8 in 10 stalking and revenge porn cases involve domestic abuse
Around 9 in 10 strangulation and ‘honour’-based abuse charges relate to domestic abuse
Parkinson said a more holistic approach is essential to changing behaviour and delivering justice, particularly for younger men and boys who may encounter abuse as a “spectrum” rather than distinct offences.
New VAWG strategy aims to embed learning and improve prosecutions
The CPS’s new VAWG strategy — a core priority for the DPP — will be implemented by all prosecutors in England and Wales. It places emphasis on:
recognising how different forms of abuse intersect
embedding academic research and lived experience into casework
improving training on complex patterns of offending
scrutinising cases to ensure charging decisions reflect the full reality of abuse
Baljit Ubhey, CPS Director of Policy and Senior Responsible Officer for the strategy, said prosecutors must move beyond siloed thinking.
“We cannot put these crimes into boxes. We cannot ignore the overlap,” she said. “Our work isn’t done until every case is built robustly, every victim feels supported, and every community trusts that justice will be delivered.”
Government support for the new approach
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves MP welcomed the strategy as part of the Government’s wider ambition to halve VAWG within a decade.
“Violence against women and girls is abhorrent, and this government is absolutely committed to halving these heinous crimes,” she said. “The CPS’s VAWG strategy is a positive development in helping prosecutors understand how different VAWG crimes are connected and better support victims.”
Recent progress and next steps
The CPS has already delivered several projects under the new strategy, including updated victim service standards and video guides to special measures. Rape remains a key focus, with new training and data improvements underway through the RASSO casework learning programme.
Guidance will also be updated to reflect the growing complexity of rape cases where the offence forms part of wider patterns of coercive control, stalking or ‘honour’-based abuse.
The CPS said this work is essential to ensuring perpetrators face charges that accurately reflect the scale and seriousness of their offending — and to supporting the Government’s mission to halve VAWG within ten years.
