FOI reference: FOI-2024-2285
You asked
"Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an umbrella term used to cover a wide range of abuses against women and girls such as domestic homicide, domestic abuse, sexual assault, abuse experienced as a child, female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and harassment in work and public life. While men and boys also suffer from many of these forms of abuse, they disproportionately affect women. VAWG is a term adopted from the United Nations 1993 declaration...'"
The linked source from 2021 is the earliest instance of the quoted statement I have found so far. Did the passage originate with this document? If not, can you provide me with the source?
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
There is no universal definition of VAWG. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) definition is largely in line with the definition used by the government in the Tackling violence against women and girls strategy first published in July 2021. However, our statistical terminology includes a wider range of abuse types to provide a more holistic view. The specific definition you have quoted from the ONS publication is therefore not taken from another source.
However, please note, following feedback on this definition, it has since been updated. The current ONS definition of VAWG can be found in the 2023 publication.