WOMEN’S rights groups have issued a call to “change the narrative” as disinformation about violence against women and girls (VAWG) continues to be used as “a tool for political point-scoring.”

Campaigners warn that arguments about VAWG to promote anti-migration agendas are “nothing new,” but their impact is becoming more mainstream and “devastating.”

A new guide published today by End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), Hibiscus, Women for Refugee Women, Southall Black Sisters, Imkaan and the Latin American Women’s Rights Service aims to help the public, politicians and journalists respond to false or misleading claims used to stoke division.

The organisations said: “In moments of national tragedy, misinformation about VAWG has been used to spread anti-migration rhetoric to scapegoat and divide communities and stoke further violence.

“This is not limited to isolated incidents — it is reinforced daily on social media, in the news, and even in Parliament.

“The weaponisation of VAWG has spread rapidly, and if left unchecked, it will continue to fuel harm, deepen division, and undermine the respect and freedom of our communities.”

VAWG is “not a tool for political point-scoring,” they said, saying: “It is not a justification for racism, xenophobia or hostility.

“And yet it is increasingly used in this way, wielded as a weapon to target migrants, refugees, and people seeking asylum and to make our communities less safe.”

The guide follows an open letter from more than 100 women’s rights groups last year calling for government leadership in responding to racist misuse of concern about women’s safety.

Organisations say an end to VAWG is possible, but weaponisation reinforces the “stranger-danger” myth and puts black, minoritised and migrant women at risk of more harm.

The guide is available on the EVAW website.