The Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy set out a vision to bring the criminal justice system into the 21st century - pulling what he calls three levers: investment, reform and modernisation.

The message is clear:
Delay has become normalised.
Backlog has become embedded.
That era is ending.

The Guardian’s editorial last week lays bare a truth many families have known for years: when women take their own lives in the context of domestic abuse, justice is too often absent.

The statistics are chilling. Suspected suicides following domestic abuse now rival - and may exceed - the number of women killed directly by partners. Yet these deaths are still routinely processed as isolated tragedies, rather than potential outcomes of sustained coercive control.

Behind every number is a family left not only grieving, but fighting.

Many survivors are asked to write a Victim Impact Statement - only for it never to be read in court.

Take the Stand is a survivor-led podcast giving those words the space they were denied.

If your statement was never heard, this is your space.

In 2010, Nina Cresswell reported a violent sexual assault to the police. Within hours, she was told it wasn’t a crime.

A decade later - after years of carrying the weight of that dismissal - she spoke out publicly to protect other women. The man she named sued her for defamation.

He dragged her through a three-year legal battle. And she won.

At the centre of France’s largest rape trial, she waived her legal right to anonymity and chose an open hearing. Not for exposure - but for principle. She refused to carry the shame that was never hers.

An open courtroom meant the men on trial did not benefit from invisibility. It meant the public saw what coercion and chemical submission actually look like. It shifted where responsibility sits.

Fightback is a powerful short film examining how the criminal justice system treats women who have experienced serious, often prolonged abuse.

The film explores cases where women are serving life sentences after acting in circumstances shaped by violence, coercion and fear - yet their experiences are minimised or misunderstood once they enter the courtroom. Context is stripped away, trauma is reframed as intent, and survival is judged through legal frameworks that fail to reflect the reality of abuse.

The Review sets out more than 130 recommendations to address delays and inefficiencies in a system described as being “on the brink of collapse.” Many of these proposals are necessary. But the central message is unavoidable: efficiency measures alone will not repair a system that is structurally failing those it exists to serve.

From a survivor’s perspective, delay is not an abstract operational problem. It is lived in years of uncertainty, repeated adjournments, poor communication, and the constant requirement to keep trauma active while waiting for a process that may never conclude.

This week marks a significant moment in the fight against image-based abuse.

Following months of campaigning by survivors, advocates and organisations including End Violence Against Women Coalition, Not Your Porn, Glamour UK, Professor Clare McGlynn and survivor-campaigner Jodie, a new law has come into force criminalising the creation of non-consensual intimate images - including AI-generated deepfakes.

The Victims’ Code is intended to set out the rights victims can expect throughout the criminal justice process - including access to information, support, participation and respectful treatment. While its foundations are widely seen as important, many people continue to experience gaps in awareness, communication and consistent delivery.

This consultation is an opportunity to help strengthen what exists.

This BBC Scotland documentary tells the harrowing but vital story of Jenni, Natalie, Shannon and Robyn - four women abused, groomed, and coercively controlled by the same man over two decades. What makes Lover, Liar, Predator so powerful is not just the detail of the harm, but the clarity it brings to a question survivors are still asked far too often: “Why didn’t you just leave?”

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner is inviting people with lived experience of domestic abuse to take part in two survivor-led roundtables in Spring 2026.

These sessions are designed to give survivors a direct line to decision-makers - to share insight, challenge assumptions, and shape how systems respond.

Men are secretly recording women on nights out and profiting from the footage online - leaving those filmed feeling unsafe, exposed, and failed by laws and platforms that still treat this as a grey area.

A new investigation by BBC News has exposed a disturbing and fast-growing online economy built on men covertly filming women on nights out, uploading the footage as “walking tours” or “nightlife content”, and profiting from it.

Liv Nervo is known globally as one half of NERVO - a superstar DJ, producer, and songwriter whose career has unfolded on the world’s biggest stages. But behind the confetti cannons, festivals, and flawless public image sits a far more intimate story: one of deception, violated consent, and the long shadow of reproductive coercion.

In a powerful piece shared with the Good Law Project, Liv has spoken publicly after years of being legally gagged - naming her experience for what it was, and reclaiming her voice.

A super-complaint on excessively long police investigations into sexual offences has been formally accepted for investigation. Three national oversight bodies will now examine systemic delays that have left tens of thousands of survivors waiting years for progress - marking an important step towards accountability and reform.

I sat through Edward’s inquest, and I’ve never felt such anger, frustration or sadness listening to police failures set out so starkly. A young man died in suspicious circumstances, and the investigation he deserved simply never happened.

Key evidence lost. Witnesses never interviewed. Conflicting accounts left unchallenged. And, once again, harmful assumptions about sexuality shaping the narrative instead of facts.

When Issy Vine spoke up about wrongdoing while working as a 999 call handler for the Metropolitan Police, she did so believing the promises she had been told - that whistleblowers would be listened to, protected, and supported.

Instead, speaking out cost her almost everything.

A public petition is calling for a Government-led inquiry into sexual violence reported in NHS hospitals and other healthcare settings.

Reports suggest this is not a series of isolated incidents, but a nationwide issue affecting patients in spaces that should be safe. Survivors deserve accountability, transparency, and meaningful action - not silence.

Every March, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) brings together governments, campaigners, experts, and organisers from across the world to shape what comes next for women’s rights.

In March 2026, you can take part from wherever you are in the UK.

The Police Leadership Commission is inviting people across the country to share what matters to them about police leadership - and help shape the future of policing.

Set up by the College of Policing, with the support of the Home Office, the Commission is carrying out a wide-ranging review of police leadership to assess whether it is equipped to meet today’s challenges and public expectations.

On Saturday 7 March 2026, women will gather in Central London for the 19th Annual Million Women Rise March and Rally, held on International Women’s Day. A long-standing, women-led movement, Million Women Rise calls for an end to male violence against women and girls. This is an all-women event, rooted in solidarity and collective strength.

You don’t have to attend alone. Make Yourself Heard will coordinate a group and share a connection point nearer the time. Drop us a message to express interest.