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EVAW response to government plans around chemical suppression
Date Published
September 19, 2025
The government has announced plans to expand its pilot of chemical suppression of sex offenders to three further regions across the country.
In a statement responding to this, Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said:
“The End Violence Against Women Coalition has concerns about government plans for a large expansion of a pilot of chemical suppression of perpetrators of serious sexual offences as a way to rehabilitate offenders and protect victims and survivors.
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is rooted in gender inequality and harmful social attitudes, and is a violation of an individual’s human rights. Sexual violence is driven by motives such as power and control and can often overlap with other forms of abuse. Chemical suppression of perpetrators, alongside psychological treatment aimed at reducing sexual urges, does not address some of the root causes of VAWG.
The Sentencing Review included a recommendation to explore the evidence base for use of pharmaceutical interventions for treating offenders, concluding that in many cases of sexual offending, chemical suppressants will not be a relevant or viable course of treatment.
The evidence base that this treatment leads to lower reoffending rates is very limited, and any suggestion that men who are taking suppressants are less of a risk should be met with a high degree of caution.
We need to see the government commit to publishing a comprehensive violence against women and girls strategy, which tackles the issue of preventing abuse, as well as addressing the many barriers that survivors face in accessing justice and specialist support.”
ENDS
Date Published
September 19, 2025
