Regional specialists join forces to drive action against VAWG epidemic

Experts from criminal justice, policing, healthcare, educations and community organisations education joined victims and policymakers at a major conference to strengthen action against violence against women and girls.

The East Midlands Violence Against Women and Girls Conference 2026, hosted by Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews, drew Police and Crime Commissioners and Deputy PCCs from across the region to Winstanley House, Braunstone Park, Leicester.

It is the second time the regional partners have convened as part of a powerful collective drive to improve the prevention and response to VAWG crimes.

VAWG has been declared a national emergency with 3,000 crimes recorded each day.

At least one in every 12 women become victims every year with the true scale of harm likely to be much higher as many victims do not report to the police.

The conference, From Strategy to Action – A Whole-System Approach – builds on the success of last year’s event in Nottinghamshire and provided a platform to share learning, showcase new approaches, highlight victim-focused progress and strengthen partnerships to help achieve better outcomes for victims across the East Midlands and reinforce a collaborative approach to VAWG.

This year’s event switched focus from policy to action and enabled partners to demonstrate how their VAWG strategies had been translated into practical action.

Delegates were presented with practical examples of innovation from across Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and took part in specialist workshops, survivor-informed discussions and multiagency panels with the goal of developing coordinated responses to prevent violence, support victims and robustly pursue offenders.

This year’s conference also explored growing issues such as stalking, workforce wellbeing, lived-experience approaches and the role of non-profit organisations in supporting the public.

In a joint statement, the East Midlands PCCs/PFCCs said: “VAWG remains a priority for all PCCs. As regional partners, we are united in our determination to convert ambition into action.

“Women and girls deserve a safer future. Together, we will unleash the power of our collective experience, insight and expertise to root out VAWG from our communities by adopting a whole-system approach focused on prevention, holding offenders accountable and supporting victims.

“We must look beyond the criminal justice system. Every preventable death reflects a missed opportunity to intervene. Commitments must lead to action, guided by evidence of what works and where we need to improve—that is the purpose of this conference. Change cannot come quickly enough; women’s lives depend on it.”

The conference directly supports the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland OPCC Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2024-2026 and reinforces the shared commitment across the region to prevent violence, challenge harmful behaviours and ensure victims receive the highest quality of support to recover and rebuild their lives.

Mr Matthews has prioritised VAWG in his Police and Crime Plan, vowing to make Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland a place that women and girls feel and are safe. 

To achieve his vision, the PCC has pledged to deal with incidents of stalking and harassment swiftly and effectively, ensure systems are in place so women and girls feel more confident in coming forward, and facilitate the delivery of evidence-backed behavioural change campaigns to ensure communities understand the types of behaviour that are unacceptable. He has also pledged to work in partnership to stamp out VAWG.