The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has published a new, wide-ranging London strategy to respond to the evolving threat of violence against women and girls (VAWG), designed to support victims and stop perpetrators.
At the heart of the strategy is a first-of-its-kind fund: £15.6 million to work directly with women and girls on improving safety in public spaces. The fund will use their experiences and voices to transform the design of parks, streets and other public areas across London.
The new strategy builds on pioneering guidance developed by Publica for the Mayor’s Good Growth by Design programme with the GLA: Safety in Public Space, Women, Girls and Gender Diverse People. Published in 2025, the guidance reflected London’s commitment to advancing gender equity and set out practical actions for built environment practitioners – becoming the first report to prioritise women and girls in growth and spatial planning.
Publica’s Founding Director, Lucy Musgrave, joined Sadiq Khan at the launch to share research from Publica’s gender inclusion work, marking a bold step forward in creating safer public spaces for all women and girls in London.
