The UK has launched a new international coalition aimed at tackling violence against women and girls, with eight countries joining an initiative led by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Announced at the Global Partnerships Conference in London on Wednesday, the coalition will bring together governments to share expertise, strengthen prevention strategies and coordinate action against domestic abuse, sexual violence and online harm.
The founding members are the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco, Spain, Jamaica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Australia.
The initiative mirrors the British government’s domestic pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. Ministers said the coalition would focus on practical measures to prevent abuse, improve protection for victims and increase accountability for perpetrators.
According to the UK government, one in three women worldwide experiences physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. The coalition will also address sexual violence in conflict zones and humanitarian crises as global instability increases.
Speaking at the launch, Cooper described violence against women and girls as “a global emergency”, saying international cooperation was essential to improving women’s safety.
She referenced a visit to the Sudanese border earlier this year, where she heard accounts of rape, abduction and sexual violence from displaced women and girls.
“There can be no peace, security or prosperity until women are able to live free from fear of violence,” Cooper said.
The UK is expected to host an international summit on violence against women and girls next year, where participating countries will outline further commitments and provide updates on progress.
The coalition forms part of a wider UK strategy that places women and girls at the centre of foreign policy and international development. Alongside the announcement, the government published a new International Strategic Framework on Women and Girls, setting out plans to integrate gender equality into diplomacy, trade, security and development policy.
The framework includes a commitment for at least 90% of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s bilateral overseas development assistance to support gender equality objectives by 2030.
Safeguarding Minister Natalie Fleet said governments needed to move beyond “warm words” and take coordinated action to protect women and girls from violence.
Ahead of the launch, Cooper and Fleet visited Lewisham Police Station in south London alongside Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation. Officials were shown the Metropolitan Police’s V100 programme, which uses digital risk assessment tools adapted from counter-terrorism policing to identify and manage high-risk offenders linked to violence against women and girls. Photo by Simon Dawson / No10 Downing Street, Wikimedia commons.
