Domestic abuse campaigners and victims have accused the government of not valuing the lives of migrant women in forthcoming legislation on the issue.
They are urging the government to make “life-saving” changes to the domestic abuse bill, which will be debated for its final stage in parliament on Monday.
The Step Up Migrant Women coalition – a collection of more than 50 BAME specialist frontline services, migrant and human rights organisations including the Latin American Women’s Rights Service, Southall Black Sisters and Amnesty International UK – has accused the government of leaving a “gaping hole” in the groundbreaking legislation, arguing that it will not provide any support for abused migrant women who have no recourse to public funds.
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“The decision to leave migrant women out of this bill sends the message that their lives are not valued, they are disposable, they are second-class people, they are invisible,” said Pragna Patel, the director of Southall Black Sisters.
Currently, domestic violence victims on spousal visas can access support for three months, but women on any other visa with a “no recourse to public funds” stipulation cannot.
“With this bill, the government isn’t just invisibilising abused migrant women, it’s worse than that,” said Patel. “It knows they exist but it is deliberately choosing to ignore their needs.”
She said the issue had been brought up repeatedly with Victoria Atkins, the minister for safeguarding, who said more assessment of the situation was needed.
The shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, Jess Phillips, has tabled an amendment proposing a pause on the no recourse provision for migrant victims who meet a legal aid test.
“The argument the government uses is that these women should go home – and have their whole lives taken away by their abuser,” said Phillips. “In these situations the state is continuing the threat of the perpetrator who says ‘no one will believe you, you won’t have anywhere to go and have no support’ – and right now the abuser is absolutely right.”
Source: Migrant women deliberately left out of UK abuse bill, say campaigners
