Sir Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the findings and recommendations of research conducted by the University of Essex on the prevalence of non-sexual violence against women and girls in armed conflicts in fragile states; and if she will make it her policy to broaden the scope of her Department's Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan, published on 23 February 2023, for such states to also include non-sexual violence against women and girls.  [17291]

[Due for Answer on 14 July]

ANSWER

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Multilateral, Human Rights, Latin America and the Caribbean (Chris Elmore): The UK Government is committed to advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and to tackling all forms of violence against women and girls in conflict and fragile settings. As part of this commitment, the UK is refreshing our WPS National Action Plan to ensure it responds to current and emerging threats to women and girls. The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the UK's commitment to this agenda in her speech marking 25 years of the Women, Peace and Security agenda on 24 November 2025: Twenty-Five years of Women Peace and Security - GOV.UK.

In May 2026, the Foreign Secretary launched a new global campaign to tackle violence against women and girls, including through a new International Coalition. The campaign covers all forms of violence against women and girls, including violence in conflict settings.

The Government has noted the University of Essex research and will continue to consider its findings alongside a broad range of evidence.