North East campaigners warn of gaps in new VAWG strategy 

The government’s new plan to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) has reignited debate in the North East about how young people are protected, both in schools and in their own relationships. Described by ministers as a “national emergency”, the strategy specifically focuses on tackling concerning behaviour, mainly from young boys, through schools and education.

Eighteen months into its time in power, the government has outlined what it means by its pledge to halve VAWG within a decade. Under a strategy titled Freedom From Violence and Abuse, the Home Office has worked with the Office for National Statistics to define a new national measure of VAWG, bringing together crimes ranging from domestic abuse and stalking to sexual violence, online abuse, spiking and fatal violence such as domestic homicide.

According to government figures, around 5 million women and girls were victims of crimes classed as VAWG in the year ending March 2025, with the majority involving domestic abuse, sexual offences or stalking.

A central pillar of the strategy is prevention, with a strong emphasis on education. These measures include training teachers to spot early signs of misogyny in boys and intervene before harmful attitudes develop, alongside programmes aimed at supporting men and boys to reduce offending.

Ministers have also pledged funding for victim support services, though it remains unclear how much of this represents new investment rather than existing schemes.

For students and young people in the North East, the strategy lands amid growing concern about behaviour and safeguarding in schools. Just weeks before the announcement, teachers at Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland began strike action over what unions described as persistent disruptive behaviour and a lack of a “robust behaviour management system”.

The National Education Union (NEU) and NASUWT said the walkouts followed months of stalled talks with school leadership. Ofsted has previously reported “persistent disruptive behaviour of a minority of pupils” at the school, contributing to high suspension rates. Union representatives argue that without consistent systems in place, schools are struggling to meet their duty of care to both staff and pupils.

The timing of the strategy launch has led some to question whether schools, already under strain, can realistically deliver the preventative role set out by the government’s without additional support.

There is also frustration in the region over what the strategy does not include. Campaigners have criticised the omission of so-called Holly’s Law, named after Holly Newton, a 15-year-old from Hexham who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in January 2023.

Holly’s family have been campaigning for a change in the law that would allow under-16s to be formally recognised as victims of domestic abuse within their own relationships. Currently, domestic abuse legislation does not consistently recognise adolescents in this way.

Holly’s mother, Micala Trussler, said the family felt their voices had not been heard. While she welcomed educational efforts to challenge misogyny, she said the failure to include Holly’s Law meant young girls were still being failed.

“For as long as the government isn’t acknowledging that under-16s can be a victim of domestic abuse in their own relationships, we still aren’t safeguarding them,” she said. “How can we help young girls understand abusive relationships if they can’t be classed as victims?”

Holly had reported being stalked by her ex-boyfriend shortly before she was killed and was due to meet police hours after her death. Ms Trussler said that because Holly was not recognised as a domestic abuse victim, the family was denied a Domestic Homicide Review, leaving unanswered questions about missed warning signs.

In response, the government said the legal framework around domestic abuse would be reviewed to better reflect adolescents’ experiences, and that police and social services would receive new guidance on intervening in harmful teenage relationships.

For university students and young people across the North East, the debate highlights a wider tension at the heart of the government’s pledge: while education is being positioned as a key solution, campaigners and teachers alike are questioning whether current systems, legal and educational, are equipped to protect young people now, not just in a decade’s time.