Next government urged to make ‘systemic’ changes to tackle violence against women

‘BME and migrant survivors are frequently forced to choose between remaining in a violent situation, or accessing a public service which might trigger immigration enforcement action,’ says campaigner

Campaigners are calling for the government to address the 'equality impact' of Brexit and restore legal aid and boost people's ability to access justice (Rex)

Lead organisations supporting black and minority ethnic survivors of domestic abuse have urged Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn to take the chance to effect “systemic” changes to protect women from domestic violence after the general election.

Imkaan, an umbrella organisation dedicated to addressing violence against black and minority ethnic (BME) women, was involved in penning an open letter to the prime minister and the leader of the opposition.

The organisation, which comprises more than 40 service providers, noted BME survivors are currently subjected to a postcode lottery of “patchy and inconsistent” support provision contingent on where they are living.

The open letter sets out six steps the Labour and Conservative leaders would need to take to address the funding crisis engulfing the sector, and protect women who are subjected to sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

These range from introducing ring-fenced funding for specialist BME organisations tackling violence against women and girls to ending data-sharing between the Home Office and public services such as police and the NHS to guarantee safe pathways for women to seek help.

Campaigners are also calling for the government to address the “equality impact” of Brexit and boost people’s ability to access justice by restoring legal aid.

Leah Cowan, Imkaan's policy and communications coordinator, said: “We urgently need systemic, lasting solutions to violence against women and girls. Both party leaders have made public commitments to addressing gender-based violence, and organisations from across the sector have signed these open letters to urge Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson that we are expecting their rhetoric to be transformed into practical action.

“Fifty per cent of BME refuges have had their funding slashed in the past ten years, and we know that across the board public funding cuts have devastated our sector, forcing lifesaving services to close their doors.

“In conjunction with a hostile environment which has sought to make life in this country untenable for migrant communities, BME and migrant survivors are frequently forced to choose between remaining in a violent situation, or accessing a public service which might trigger immigration enforcement action to be taken against them and their families. This is unacceptable.”

Ms Cowan hit out at this “genuine and deepening systemic inequality” – adding that the domestic abuse bill which was put forward under the previous government was “woefully inadequate” due to overlooking the needs of BME and migrant survivors of abuse.

The campaigner noted migrant abuse survivors can be detained or deported if they come forward to a public agency to report abuse – saying people across public services are being turned into “de facto border guards”.

Mr Corbyn made a speech at a BME women’s conference in 2015 where he committed to ringfencing funding for BME services but this has not been included in the Labour Party manifesto, Ms Cowan added.

She said she hoped the party would follow up on the offer and they would be pushing for them to do so.

Those in need of a refuge are finding it more difficult than ever to find an available bed, with the most recent figures showing 60 per cent of them are unable to. Local authority spending on refuges has been cut from £31.2m in 2010 to £23.9m in 2017 – with several refuges forced to shut in the last nine years.

Specialist services for BME survivors have been hardest hit by the cuts – with funding moving towards generic service providers instead.

Other measures outlined in the open letter include a violence against women and girls bill which prioritises BME and migrant survivors – as well as bringing in a statutory obligation to adhere to the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The latter refers to a duty on public authorities to consider how their policies impact those who are protected under the Equality Act.