In its national strategy on Freedom from Violence and Abuse from December 2025, the UK government committed to halving violence against women and girls (VAWG) – described by the PM as ‘national emergency’ – within a decade. The magnitude of this task requires a paradigm shift, in both thinking and action.   Deploying a prevention approach and putting lived experience and human rights at the centre of responses to VAWG, this research will provide both a robust evidence base and normative foundation to guide policy interventions designed to achieve the Government’s ambitious commitment. It will investigate the patterns and prevalence of VAWG in five different contexts where such violence usually takes place: at home, in public spaces (including online), at work, in school, and in healthcare, and assess the existing policies governing these domains against the standards established in international and domestic human rights law and best practice from other countries.