Call for drive to defeat domestic violence

Little is being done to prevent violence against women in Britain - and society's most vulnerable victims of abuse are not guaranteed the urgent protection they need, Amnesty International warns.

A report by Amnesty and the Women's National Commission (WNC) reveals that women suffering domestic violence, forced marriage, rape, honour crimes and human trafficking cannot always be provided with a safe refuge despite their often desperate situations.

What a Waste: The Case For An Integrated Violence Against Women Strategy finds many European countries are outperforming Britain in the way they deal with violence on women. The report, being launched today in Parliament by Vera Baird MP, examines progress made on tackling the problem since 1997, and recommends a "more co-ordinated and consistent policy".

The report claims that victims of rape and sexual assault are subject to a "postcode lottery" with regard to support from the police and criminal justice system. And women who were trafficked and forced into prostitution find themselves charged with criminal offences and deported back to countries where they might be at risk. The report complains that there is no statutory support available for immigrant or refugee women who experience domestic violence.

It warns: "Little work is being done to prevent violence against women in the UK."

Many countries in Europe, including Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain, have dedicated national strategies on violence against women. However, in the UK only Scotland has developed its own approach to the problem - its National Group on Domestic Abuse has set up a domestic violence court.

Amnesty calls for a more co-ordinated government policy, a long-term approach to prevention and "the mainstreaming of neglected forms of violence against women", such as trafficking, genital mutilation and forced marriage.

Kate Allen, the director of Amnesty International UK, said domestic violence cost the state and employers £6bn a year.

She said: "The British Crime Survey has found that almost one in two women in Britain will experience domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking during their lives.

"The UK has international human rights obligations to protect women from all forms of violence. It is time those obligations were honoured."

Amnesty expressed disappointment that, despite the greater prominence of women in Parliament and the appointment of a minister for women, Patricia Hewitt, not enough has been done to combat violence against women.

Neil Durkin, Amnesty's spokesman, said: "The irony is that after the promise of the 'Blair's Babes' parliament and what seemed to be a new women-friendly era in British politics, we are still not seeing the kind of joined-up policy thinking that could be saving women's lives in this country."

Baroness Margaret Prosser, chairman of the WNC, said: "A lot has been done to tackle violence against women, but a lot remains to be done. Hopefully, government can develop a strategy which closes the gaps."