After a landslide win from Labour in the UK General Election and an end to 14 years of Tory rule, domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid have asked for ‘real tangible change’ as they welcome pledges from the new government.
Last week, Women’s Aid held a rally outside parliament calling for an end to the ‘epidemic’ of domestic abuse in Britain and calling for greater funding for specialist services. Today they say they are on board with pledges made in Labour’s manifesto and have re-iterated their rally cry – that the government ‘must invest £427million per year, as a minimum to give women and children the support they need.
Bosses at the charity have said that the election result presents an opportunity for Labour commit to their promise of ‘ending domestic violence against women and girls within ten years’.
Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said:
“The election of a new government today presents an opportunity for real, and tangible change in the way that tackling domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls is approached in this country. While there have been some positive legislative changes in recent years, including the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act (2021) and the criminalisation of coercive control, survivors have been largely let down by disjointed responses to the issues they face and inadequate funding. The tragic reality is that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic at some point in their lives and the domestic abuse sector must be supported to provide their life-saving services.
Women’s Aid welcomed pledges made by Labour during this election period to halve violence against women and girls within a decade of being elected, but for this promise to be delivered, urgent and sustainable investment is needed. As it stands, the domestic abuse sector is facing ongoing challenges that leave many survivors facing a postcode lottery of support, with women and children being turned away at their point of need. The government must commit to investing £427 million per year, as a minimum, into specialist services, so that women and children get the support they deserve. What’s more, we know that every pound invested in domestic abuse support services will see a saving to the Exchequer of at least £9 – saving money and lives.
Domestic abuse is a national threat and needs an urgent response to protect women and children. Women’s Aid invites the new government to work with us and utilise our expertise to deliver on their promises for transformation and to ensure that women and children who have experienced abuse can get the support they deserve.”
Pop icon Mel B has launched a petition with the charity that compels the government to execute the recommendations of the Harm Panel Report, which was conducted in 2020 to assess the risk of harm to children and parents in private family law cases.
The latest Harm Panel Report made recommendations for a major overhaul of the family court process in child arrangement cases, including: Establishing Pilot Pathfinder Courts in North Wales and Dorset to improve information sharing and support for victims, allowing independent domestic violence advocates and independent sexual violence advocates to access the family court, restricting the use of intimate images in family proceedings and shifting from an ‘adversarial approach’ to a safety focused and trauma-aware approach. So far Mel B’s petition has almost reached it’s target of 25,000 signatures.
