Imkaan responds to the Government’s reply to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s report on VAWG funding

In April, Imkaan submitted written, oral, and post-oral evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s inquiry into the Government’s progress on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG).

In July, the Committee published its final report, which echoed what Imkaan and other VAWG organisations led ‘by and for’ Black and minoritised women have been saying for decades:

Violence against Black and minoritised women and girls cannot be tackled through generic, fragmented, short-term funding; yet the funding system has historically excluded the organisations best placed to help – and has never reflected the urgency that this crisis demands.

The Committee called for national ring-fenced funding for ‘by and for’ services, longer-term funding cycles of three to five years, and stronger coordination between government departments and funding authorities.

The Government has now (22 October 2025) issued its response to the Committee’s report.

The Government “acknowledged the difficulties” caused by short-term funding and “recognised the barriers ‘by and for’ specialist services can face during the bidding process,” confirming that it is reviewing the definition of ‘by and for’ services and exploring ways to improve commissioning. However, it stated that further information will not be available until after the 2026–2029 Spending Review.

Imkaan welcomes this acknowledgment, but words alone are not enough. If the Government is serious about halving VAWG within a decade, these commitments must be embedded in the forthcoming VAWG Strategy and Spending Review, backed by clear, accountable, and long-term investment in ‘by and for’ organisations. The Government must engage with Imkaan and its members to define ‘by and for’ organisations and establish ring-fenced, sustainable funding.

The call is clear: centre the organisations that have led this work for generations with little support and at enormous cost. Without concrete action, specialist ‘by and for’ organisations risk closure, leaving Black and minoritised victim-survivors of VAWG at even greater risk.

Read the Government’s response to the HASC inquiry here:
https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/49653/documents/267242/default/

Read Imkaan’s submission to the HASC inquiry and its response to the HASC report here:
https://www.imkaan.org.uk/home-affairs-committee-report-response-funding-vawg