Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 31
31
Accepted
Tech-enabled violence against women and girls represents a rapidly evolving and increasing threat.
Conclusion
Tech–enabled violence against women and girls refers to the use of technology to perpetrate violence, harassment, or abuse. Crimes include online harassment; image–based abuse (including the sharing of intimate imagery of perpetrator to victim, without the victim’s consent); revenge porn (the sharing of intimate images of the victim by the perpetrator, sometimes referred to as NCII (non–consensual intimate imagery)) and many more. Statistics show that tech–enabled VAWG is a rapidly evolving threat. For example, in 2015, the revenge porn helpline received 521 cases compared with 22,000 in 2024.73 Written evidence submitted by Miss Amy Moir highlighted Ofsted’s ‘Review into sexual abuse in schools and colleges’ which found that nearly 90% of girls, and nearly 50% of boys said that being sent explicit pictures of things they didn’t want to see happens a lot or sometimes to them or their peers.74
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee’s observation and is implementing the Online Safety Act, legislating to criminalize non-consensual intimate images, and monitoring impact through trackers, with Ofcom publishing guidance by the end of 2025.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
7.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Winter 2025 7.2 The implementation of the Online Safety Act is a key part of the government’s strategy to tackle VAWG. The government is also exploring interventions to strengthen protections for women and girls online, including current work legislating to criminalize the creation of non-consensual intimate images. 7.3 The Act’s illegal content duties have been in force since March 2025, and from July 2025, the Act’s child safety duties should be in force. The child safety duties will require in- scope services likely to be accessed by children, to protect them from content that is harmful to them. 7.4 From October 2025, DSIT will analyse Ofcom's Online Experiences Tracker, setting out the experiences of 13–17-year-olds and adults on regulated services. This survey may give a view into the early impact of the protections under the illegal content duties, including from harms which disproportionately impact women and girls. 7.5 DSIT expects to see impacts of the child safety duties reflected more in the Spring 2026 Tracker but will aim to update the Committee in six months' time with initial findings from Ofcom’s Tracker. 7.6 DSIT is working with Ofcom to develop a longer-term monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the Act’s impact, including assessing relevant data and crime statistics. 7.7 DSIT expect Ofcom to publish their finalised guidance to protect women and girls online by the end of 2025. Ofcom is also consulting on further measures which may help tackle VAWG, which launched on 30 June 2025. 7.8 DSIT will update the Committee in six months' time on the implementation of the Act and further actions being taken to protect women and girls online.