‘With, not for’: The voices of survivors in national strategies to eliminate violence against women and girls

This blog article is part of a series from the Assembly Research and Information Service to mark International Women’s Day 2025.

In Northern Ireland, new research suggests 98% of women here have experienced at least one form of violence or abuse in their lifetime and it is considered to be one of the most dangerous regions in Europe for women.

This blog looks at the ways in which governments across the UK and Republic of Ireland, have looked to incorporate the voices of survivors in their strategies to eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Executive launched its Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) Strategic Framework for 2024-2031 in September 2024. It highlighted the importance of a collaborative approach in tackling VAWG and that such an approach must be society wide.

The Strategic Framework was created using a co-design process by a wide range of people, representing different organisations and viewpoints from across society and government, including community, voluntary and other sectors, and survivors with lived experience. These organisations represented many sectors, including sporting groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, younger and older people, people of different faith and backgrounds, and groups representing or working with those with lived experience.

‘Designing with, not for’ – NI Executive’s Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Framework for 2024-2031

The Framework defines co-design as ‘about designing with, not for’. The co-design forum ran from October-December 2022 with a representative group of over 50 stakeholders. The co-design forum sought to gather input equitably, ensuring all contributors’ views were valued equally. Its outputs were used to prepare the Strategic Framework, with the group establishing eight principles for the basis for the outworkings of the Strategic Framework.

The co-design process has been well received, particularly by those involved. Nexus, a Northern Ireland charity supporting anyone impacted by sexual abuse, outlined in their consultation response that this opportunity had allowed them to amplify the voices of survivors who use their services.

The co-design process aimed to strengthen the networks of key stakeholders which the Executive has promised to build, engage and work with. This will be done, in part, through an Insight and Reference Network which will help to promote the work of the organisations involved. It will share learning and provide a means to input expertise and lived experience into the programme delivery plans.

Scotland

In 2023, the Scottish Government launched their refreshed ‘Equally Safe Strategy’ alongside a Delivery Plan. The Strategy was first launched in 2014 and updated in 2016.

The Strategy itself was developed collaboratively between the Scottish Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), and a number of national and local partners as well as stakeholders from the public and third sectors. Equally Safe recognises that such a collaborative approach is essential, as all parts of government and society have their own role to play in eliminating VAWG.  The Scottish Government’s approach to VAWG sees it as a public health issue. This was something that came from their engagement programme when refreshing Equally Safe – such an approach emphasises a collaboration.

As part of Equally Safe, there is a Joint Strategic Board. This was set up to drive change in relation to the aims and priorities of Equally Safe and the Strategy’s implementation. Its joint Chairs are from the Scottish Government and COSLA. As well as representatives from Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the NHS, membership includes representatives from third sector women’s organisations such as those who support minority groups and who focus on intersectionality. This is in line with the Strategy’s recognition that different groups of women are affected by VAWG in different ways e.g. minority ethnic women and girls, lesbian and bisexual women, trans women, asylum seekers and those in rural or urban communities.

Wales

The Welsh Government’s Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence: Strategy 2022 to 2026 also recognises that eliminating VAWG requires a whole society approach and, similar to the Scottish Strategy, sees VAWG through a public health lens.

The Welsh Strategy was, again, produced in a collaborative way and it recognises the importance of the survivors’ voice, both in forming the Strategy and in its delivery. The Strategy is delivered through the Blueprint Delivery Model (‘the Blueprint’), emphasising that listening to the lived experience of survivors is fundamental.

As part of ensuring survivors’ voices are heard through the Blueprint, a number of structures have been established, these include:

• National Advisers – aim to implement evidence-based intervention and initiatives that prioritise prevention, protection, and support for survivors. Through stakeholder engagement, they look to ensure the voices of victims and survivors are heard.
• National Survivor Voice and Scrutiny Panel – this is chaired by the National Advisers and brings survivor experiences into policy making and strategic planning. The panel is represented at the National Partnership, Programme Board and in each workstream, when considering actions, policy and strategy. The Panel is also able to provide feedback to Ministers, where relevant.

The Survivor Voice Scrutiny and Involvement Panel is made up of those with lived experience. The panel develops policy advice for the National Partnership Board on user involvement in decision-making and engagement. However, their key role is to work as a scrutiny panel to which the policy advice of other working groups will be referred. Advice referred up to the National Partnership Board will therefore have a survivor perspective included.

England

The UK Government’s most recent Strategy for tackling VAWG in England ran from 2021-2024 and work is currently ongoing to update this. In light of this, in looking at voices of survivors, it is interesting to examine the work done by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner (DAC) in England and Wales. The DAC is the independent voice for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and is appointed by the Government. The Commissioner has statutory powers to raise awareness and to hold agencies and Government to account in relation to tackling domestic abuse. The role is currently held by Nicole Jacobs.

As part of her survivor engagement, the Commissioner has set up a ‘VOICES at the DAC’ platform. The platform aims to give victims and survivors opportunities to share their experience, so they can influence change. It is a virtual platform for victims and survivors of domestic abuse to stay connected to relevant policy, research and practice development. VOICES is open to several groups, including all adult victims and survivors of domestic abuse in England and Wales, as well as friends and family of those bereaved in a domestic homicide or domestic abuse-related deaths, and those who work with victims and survivors.

Republic of Ireland

The Irish Government has a National Strategy known as ‘Zero Tolerance’. This is the Third National Strategy On Domestic, Sexual And Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) and covers 2022-2026. Again, in keeping with the other strategies, Zero Tolerance looks at achieving change through a society-wide effort and was collaboratively developed.

This Strategy highlights the partnership through which it was developed, ensuring the Strategy was both co-designed and co-owned. There was a collaborative approach between the Department of Justice (DoJ) and civil society organisations in the Strategy’s development. There was further collaboration in the Executive Committee, which oversaw the development of the Strategy. This was made up of the DoJ, the National Women’s Council of Ireland and Safe Ireland. The Strategy highlights the Government’s desire to continue this type of collaboration through the life of the Strategy to ensure that ‘those most affected are at the centre of the planning, design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation’.

Meaningful stakeholder engagement

As we have seen, the voices of survivors have been important in shaping the various EVAWG strategies across jurisdictions. Survivor engagement is not straightforward, and must be done carefully to ensure a process through which effective and safe survivor engagement can take place. The four UK Women’s Aid Federations (Welsh Women’s Aid, Scottish Women’s Aid, Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland, Women’s Aid Federation of England) and Imkaan, the only UK based, umbrella women’s organisation dedicated to addressing violence against Black and minoritised women and girls, have produced a guide to meaningful survivor engagement. It aims to enable survivors to have increased opportunities to influence local practice and national decision-making.

What about men’s voices?

Finally, it’s worth highlighting that there are other important voices involved in eliminating VAWG: those of men. VAWG involves male violence towards women and girls. Two campaigns aimed at engaging men are the PSNI’s ‘The Power to Change’ campaign and Police Scotland’s ‘That Guy’. These campaigns aim to encourage men and boys to challenge and reflect on their own and their peers’ attitudes and behaviours and to intervene when they see or hear inappropriate behaviours or comments.

Voices of survivors have become central in developing whole of society strategies and, crucially, delivering these. Broad societal engagement, including from men, plays a vital role in changing societal attitudes and behaviours related to VAWG. This will bring us a step closer to the vision of the Northern Ireland Strategy; ‘a changed society where women and girls are free from all forms of gender-based violence, abuse, and harm, including the attitudes, systems, and structural inequalities that cause them’.

If you have been a victim of domestic or sexual abuse you can contact the following organisations:

Northern Ireland Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Helpline – 0808 802 1414

Scotland 24-hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline – 0800 027 1234

England and Wales 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247

Republic of Ireland Women’s Aid Ireland 24-hour National Helpline – 1800 341 900