Research project tackling violence against women to be led by Manchester University

TW: This article contains references to sexual harassment,  domestic abuse, sexual violence and homicide.  

The University of Manchester have been given money to lead and accelerate a research project into the UK’s attempts to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).

An interdisciplinary team at the University of Manchester have been given £625,000 to increase efforts to prevent and react to violence against women and girls in the UK by uniting policymakers, researchers and practitioners.

Violence against women and girls is an underreported, underrepresented and pervasive issue in the UK that affects many women and girls.

Official statistics reveal that 2.2 million women aged 16 plus experienced domestic violence in the year ending March 2025 (April 2024–March 2025).

According to statistics from UK police in England and Wales, more than 200,000 sexual offences were recorded in 2024/25.

The UK Government’s Safer Streets Mission aims to half VAWG in the next 10 years.

via Unsplash

In response to the worrying statistics, RISE, a new project hosted by SPRITE+, SALIENT and NSEC (which are all communities of multi-disciplinary academics) were given money from UKRI’s R&D Missions Accelerator Programme to respond to the pressing issue of VAWG.

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RISE will provide funding of up to £50,000, facilitating collaboration between researchers and practitioners across sectors including, policymaking, third sector and policing. It will also enable the researchers and practitioners to pilot new approaches to the issue of VAWG.

The project is composed of four research projects which covers women’s public safety, primary intervention (working with men and boys), child-parent homicides and management of domestic abusers.

RISE’s team will be led by a team of professionals, including Professor Rose Broad and Dr Caroline Miles, whose research on the abuse of women runners was recently referenced in Parliament. The team will also involve Professor David Gadd who is a leading expert on domestic abuse and masculinities, along with Dr. Reka Solymosi a specialist in crime data analysis and co-director of M-PACE.

Dr Richard Kirkham, NSEC and SALIENT’s principal investigation, will complete multi-agency research, and Professor Mark Elliot, director of SPRIE+, will oversee stakeholder engagement and lead reviews of prevention strategies.

Dr Rose Broad at the University of Manchester said: “Gender‑based violence and abuse remains a reality for far too many people at home, in public and increasingly online. Through the RISE project we’re addressing a range of VAWG issues and looking at the many ways violence and abuse show up in people’s lives, recognising that these harms don’t look the same for everyone.”.

If you have been affected by the contents of this article, you can seek support via National Domestic Abuse Helpline, Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line, Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline, Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline. 

Or if you are a student at Manchester University, you can access support here.

Featured image via Unsplash