#16DaysOfActivism - Human Rights and Migration Policy: an increasing divide
By Maria Monserrat Escudero and Dolores Modern
Human Rights in context
This year, commemorating Human Rights day is critical.
The Human Rights Framework guided governments, policymakers, and societies in general for decades, enshrining the value of human life, dignity and compassion beyond borders. Alarmingly, this consensus is now being challenged globally. In the UK, we can see this clearly with the pledge by some MPs to scrap the Human Rights Act and leave the European Convention on Human Rights. But we don’t need to go this far to put Human Rights at risk. By demonising migration, this government is fuelling the narrative that questions whether we are all deserving of rights and entitlements.
Human Rights are interlinked, and most importantly, inherent to every human being. By alienating certain groups of people from their fundamental rights, we are stripping them from their humanity. In the context of the 16 days of activism, where the importance of eradicating violence against women and girls is in the spotlight, the interconnectedness of Human Rights comes into centre.
The dehumanising effect of the hostile immigration environment
The cruelty of the current hostile environment migrants, asylum seekers and refugees are living in cannot be overstated. Our communities have progressively seen their vulnerability increase for years. And when we thought things could not get much worse, a government many of us had put our hopes in, turned on us.
Migrants have become the scapegoats for state failings of all kinds. We are to blame for the housing crisis, for austerity impacting the working class, for salaries falling and working conditions worsening. There is no evidence that shows that migration has caused any of these issues, or that reducing migration would fix them. However, the idea that migrants, asylum seekers and refugees are impoverishing the UK by taking from British citizens is spun across media, parliamentary debates, and now at dinner tables.
The purpose of these narratives is not to fix the root causes of the issues facing the UK. They are used and exploited to create division, cover failings and gain political support in a context of crisis and concern. These narratives and the policies that derive from them are also an extension of the colonial project, which extracted from and exploited ‘othered’ populations. Now, we see it happening within the UK borders by allowing for the dehumanisation of human beings who have made this country their home, however temporarily.
The real life impact of dehumanising migrants
The downgrading of the Human Rights framework and the narratives that enable this affect everyone. A mother might be afraid to speak to her child in her own language in public. A child might face bullying at school. A worker might fear reporting their employer for abusing their rights. A student might choose not to continue pursuing their education in the UK for fear of violence. This creates a fragmented society, where fear seeps into communities and erodes the trust and solidarity that hold us together. It also opens the door to further curtailing of rights.
For those most at risk, including the women we work with who are survivors of gender-based violence, trafficking, and exploitation, this context makes it even harder to access support, justice, and redress. These women, who are often experiencing intersecting issues related to structural racism and class discrimination, are being systematically failed by this government from multiple fronts. They are the very people the government claims to want to protect.
Migrants Rights and Women’s Rights are Human Rights
There are no humans less deserving of a dignified life. Violence against women and girls will not be eradicated if we, as a society, marginalise women who, due to their immigration status, are subjected to institutional violence and discrimination. The idea of “earning” Human Rights through, for example, increasingly complex conditions for settlement, goes against the commitments this country has taken to abandon the colonial project and become a firm supporter of the advancement of all peoples.
In this context, communities and solidarity networks are taking the role of the state and protecting those most vulnerable. However, charities and communities alone cannot revert the consequences of these curtailments.
But we refuse to lose hope. When in crisis, humanity has thrived by strengthening community bonds, and pulling each other up. The UK was once a leading voice in the adoption of Human Rights globally, being the first nation to ratify the European Convention of Human Rights. We need a government that can take up the mantle, refusing to be blinded by short-term political gain, and steps up to the challenges facing our times.
Everyone deserves to live in dignity. A fair immigration system that offers equal and real protections is the only way to guarantee Human Rights.
Another Autumn Budget, Another year of uncertainty for VAWG services and victim-survivors
Thursday, 27 November 2025
Yesterday’s budget did not mention Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) once – a glaring omission at a time when demand for specialist support is at record levels and victim-survivors have a 60% chance of being turned away from refuge, primarily due to lack of space and the No Recourse to Public Funds condition. Despite a manifesto commitment to halve VAWG, the government’s Budget has provided no new funding for the specialist organisations supporting victim-survivors of VAWG and their children.
With rising demand, higher operational costs, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) funding cuts, a cost-of-living crisis, and the impact of a previous National Insurance increase, services already under immense strain now face even greater financial pressure. For VAWG organisations delivering life-saving support, this picture means longer waiting lists, reduced support, and in some areas, the real risk of services shutting down entirely. We have already seen 3 Rape Crisis Centres close in the last 12 months, and they remain – as almost all other women’s services do – unsure about their future beyond the end of this financial year.
While we welcome the scrapping of the two-child limit, which also means an end to women needing to 'prove' they were raped in order to qualify for the exemption on the benefit cap, the government’s failure to include support for victim-survivors in the budget is devastating for the thousands of women and children who rely on specialist trauma-informed support every day. It also has significant implications for our economy, productivity, and broader quality of life, if those seeking safety, justice and recovery after experiencing violence cannot secure the support they need, and rebuild their lives.
The government’s continued imposition of short-term, fragmented funding for VAWG services is actively hindering its own commitment to halve VAWG within a decade and undermining frontline work. While the entirety of the VAWG sector is affected, the impact is particularly severe for smaller, specialist ‘by and for’ organisations supporting Black, minoritised and migrant women. These services are six times less likely to receive government funding and operate at a 39% shortfall in funding1, despite generating more than £42 million in public savings each year. Chronic underfunding, combined with a hostile and anti-migrant political environment and increasingly competitive funding systems, continues to place them at severe structural disadvantage.
“‘We've always been in survival mode since 2012, when the austerity measures kicked in and our local authorities stopped funding us [...] The current situation is literally getting us from one year to the next year to the next year’...”
Evidence shows 67% of Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors want ‘by and for services’. These services are not optional add-ons; they are essential, life-saving -and in many cases, the only safe and accessible spaces equipped to provide holistic support to some of the most vulnerable victim-survivors. Yet far too many specialist organisations remain locked out of fair and accessible funding.
As the representatives of leading women's sector organisations, we are yet to see the things we know are needed - long-term, secure funding for all women, including those with No Recourse to Public Funds and recognition and support for Rape Crisis Centres.
Ahead of the publication of the VAWG strategy, we urge the government to:
- Commit a minimum of £502 million of investment in specialist domestic abuse organisations, which should include £222m for refuge services and £280m for community-based services.
- Create national ring-fenced funding for specialist VAWG organisations, including ‘by and for’ services, in line with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s recommendations, including £158.3 million in ring-fenced for Black and minoritised, deaf and disabled, and LGBT+ victim-survivors, and £63.5 million per annum in dedicated funding for victim-survivors with No Recourse to Public Funds.5
- Urgent continuation and substantial increase of the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) fund, with appropriate year on year uplifts, over a 4-year period in line with other commitments.
- Replace short-term, fragmented funding with stable, multi-year funding allows services to plan, retain skilled staff, and meet increasing demand.
- Reform competitive funding and commissioning models to ensure equitable access for all specialist organisations, recognising the distinct role played ‘by and for’ services and the structural inequalities they face.
Without sustainable investment, life-saving VAWG services will continue to operate on the brink, and the government’s commitment to ending VAWG will remain unmet. Victim-survivors deserve better, and specialist organisations cannot continue to shoulder this responsibility without the resources required to keep women and children safe. 
Sources:
[1] https://www.womensaid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Unsuccessful-referrals-into-refuge.pdf
[2] https://southallblacksisters.org.uk/submissions-campaigns/investing-in-safety/
[3] https://www.imkaan.org.uk/home-affairs-committee-report-response-funding-vawg
LAWRS supports the statement on the weaponisation of VAWG
The statement has been co-ordinated by organisations including End Violence Against Women Coalition, Women for Refugee Women, Hibiscus, Southall Black Sisters and Asylum Matters, and is endorsed by Imkaan and the Step Up Migrant Women Coalition:
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In the last weeks, we have seen how vital conversations about violence against women and girls (VAWG) are being hijacked by an anti-migrant agenda that fuels division, harms survivors and ultimately impedes the real work of tackling the root causes of society-wide violence, to the detriment of women and girls. We write as organisations on the frontlines of combatting VAWG to urge the Government to address this dangerous narrative.
We condemn all acts of violence against women and girls and the immense harm which such acts cause to individuals and communities. The facts about violence against women and girls in the UK are stark:
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Almost one in three women will experience domestic abuse, and sexual offences are at the highest level recorded.
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Two women a week in the UK are murdered by a partner or ex-partner.
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More than 90% of perpetrators of rape and sexual assault are known to their victims.
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One in two rapes against women are carried out by a partner or ex-partner.
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One in three adult survivors of rape experience it in their own home.
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Women who can’t access public funds, such as welfare support or housing assistance - due to No Recourse to Public Funds conditions - are three times more likely to experience VAWG.
We have been alarmed in recent weeks by an increase in unfounded claims made by people in power, and repeated in the media, that hold particular groups as primarily responsible for sexual violence. This not only undermines genuine concerns about women’s safety but also reinforces the damaging myth that the greatest risk of gender-based violence comes from strangers.
Every act of VAWG is a form of injustice. It is an injustice that violence against women and girls is carried out in our workplaces, in our schools, in our streets and most commonly, in our homes. It is an uncomfortable reality that it is committed in every economic group, ethnicity, age and social group, and overwhelmingly by the men who are in women and girls’ lives. VAWG is also perpetrated by people who move to the UK, but the racist idea that this is solely an imported problem flies in the face of women and girls’ daily experiences in the UK.
These horrifying facts must be addressed with sustainable investment in prevention and support services, and by removing state-imposed barriers to support for survivors. Instead, the issue is being hijacked by people seeking to use women and girls’ pain and trauma - and the threat of it - for political gain.
Over recent weeks, people claiming to care about the “safety of women and children” have left families, women and children living in temporary asylum accommodation afraid to leave their front door. They follow in the footsteps of the rioters who used the appalling murder of three young girls as an excuse to bring violence to our streets; with targeted attacks against migrant, minoritised and Muslim communities. That two out of five of those arrested for that disorder themselves had police histories of domestic abuse illustrates not only the pervasiveness of gender-based violence but the disingenuous nature of many of those who claim to have the interests of women and children at heart. Meanwhile, members of Parliament freely share false statistics about the nationality of perpetrators. Government ministers have even endorsed some of this summer’s demonstrators as having ‘legitimate’ concerns, which risks normalising and enabling the spreading of racist narratives by the far-right.
Not only do these falsehoods fail to keep women safe, they serve as a racist distraction that actively impedes the urgent work of addressing gender-based violence. Myths and misconceptions about sexual violence act as a barrier to justice for survivors. Spreading an inaccurate picture of VAWG in the UK allows the people - overwhelmingly men, from all walks of life - who harm women and girls to hide behind racial stereotypes and scapegoating. Meanwhile, hostile immigration policies propped up by this misinformation put many of the most marginalised women and survivors in the UK - racialised, migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women - at even greater risk of harm, destitution, homelessness, exploitation and criminalisation.
The government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls. This is a challenging but achievable ambition, but it cannot be done while lies about its causes are endorsed by those in the highest positions of power - Parliament and the media - and allowed to spread unchecked.
We urge the Government to show leadership in responding to the weaponisation of VAWG, including changing its framing of migration, promoting an accurate picture of violence against women and girls, and holding those who spread misinformation to account. We cannot afford for this agenda to drive further attacks on migrant communities or harm efforts to develop a coherent, effective strategy to address the real causes of gender-based violence. All women and girls deserve for us to face and confront the reality of VAWG, so that we can pave the way in ending it.
VAWG Takeover at Labour Conference: Putting Women and Girls at the Centre
As the Labour Party Conference gets underway this weekend, specialist violence against women and girls (VAWG) organisations will take over the agenda – calling on the government to turn its pledge to halve VAWG within a decade into meaningful action.
Leading VAWG organisations – including community-based ‘by and for’ services – are coming together at the Conference to have the urgent conversations this government has neglected to hold. Through three key events, we will call for vital reforms:
● Sunday 28 September – Reception on building a whole-system approach to VAWG, focused on the sector’s priorities for the national strategy to ensure a joined-up, coordinated response to preventing VAWG, investing in support for victim-survivors, and holding perpetrators and institutions to account.
● Monday 29 September – Roundtable on the erasure of Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls from government commitments, focused on the systemic barriers facing these communities and the urgent reforms needed to ensure access to life-saving support and justice.
● Tuesday 30 September – Panel on post-separation abuse of women and children, focused on the hidden harms of abuse that continue after separation and the measures government must take to address them.
These events will amplify the call for:
● A comprehensive, integrated, whole-system approach to prevent and respond to all forms of VAWG - including domestic abuse, sexual violence, economic abuse, so-called ‘honour’-based abuse, stalking, and online harms.
● Multi-year funding for specialist victim-survivor support services, with ringfenced support for ‘by and for’ organisations.
● Recognition of children as victims in their own right.
● A full firewall between the police and Immigration Enforcement, and the abolition of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) for migrant victim-survivors.
● The inclusion of asylum-seeking women within the government’s mission to end VAWG.
The Labour government’s pledge to halve VAWG within a decade is a welcome starting point. But pledges alone will not be enough. As the scourge of VAWG – perpetrated disproportionately by men – continues to devastate lives, urgent and decisive action is required. Too many victim-survivors are left with lasting trauma, and for some, the consequences are fatal. VAWG organisations’ events at the Conference will make clear that if the government is serious about its mission, it must listen to the sector, centre women and girls in every decision, and deliver the reforms needed to end VAWG once and for all.
For far too long, state failures to prevent violence and respond effectively to victim-survivors have left women and girls with little confidence in the system. A recent survey revealed that 69% of women had either first- or second-hand experience of VAWG. Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls are further marginalised by institutional racism and the barrier of NRPF. Research shows migrant women with NRPF are three times more likely to be subjected to VAWG. Femicide figures in London also highlight racial disproportionality: in 2023, over 62% of victims were Black, a shocking rise from 43% in 2022.
These numbers should stop us in our tracks. Behind every statistic is a woman or girl whose life has been cut short or profoundly harmed. Now, more than ever, we must prioritise tackling VAWG. The Labour manifesto offers hope for long-overdue reforms – reforms the specialist VAWG sector has been championing for decades.
Yet progress has been slow and, to VAWG organisations’ deep disappointment, meaningful consultation has been blocked. Even discussions on the forthcoming VAWG strategy – which will likely underpin the government’s solutions – have excluded many of the very experts who work alongside victim-survivors daily. This is alarming. The sector’s expertise is rooted in decades of lived experience and frontline evidence; silencing these voices risks designing policies that fail the very women they are meant to protect.
Instead of centring victim-survivors, the government has leaned too heavily on a criminal justice approach. Reform of our broken system is essential, as it currently re-traumatises many victim-survivors of sexual violence and abuse, particularly due to lengthy Crown Court backlogs and shamefully low charging and attrition rates. Yet a sole focus on the criminal justice system ignores the widespread mistrust that many women and girls hold towards it, preventing them from ever engaging with the system in the first place. This mistrust is even more acute for Black, minoritised, and migrant women, who often face disbelief, racist stereotypes, and the absence of a firewall to protect them from Immigration Enforcement when seeking help. Without a firewall, many women are forced to choose between silence and safety, fearing that reporting abuse will lead to detention or deportation. Research from the Step Up Migrant Women campaign found that over 60% of migrant women had the abuser threaten them with deportation if they sought help – showing how immigration status is weaponised to trap women in abuse.
Compounding this, investment in life-saving support has been grossly inadequate. Community-based ‘by and for’ services – proven to be highly effective – are six times less likely to receive government funding. Despite evidence showing a need for £502 million annually for victim-survivor domestic abuse support, including £280 million for community-based services, only £19.9 million additional funding has been pledged for victim-survivor support services this year to a handful of services, in the context of actual and real-terms cuts to existing funding streams. The effect of this inadequate funding is already having a tangible impact on victim-survivor services and victim-survivors, with three specialist Rape Crisis centres forced to close their doors already this year and services for Black, minoritised, and migrant victim-survivors operating under unprecedented precarity. While the Government has invested £53 million across four years into high-risk, high-harm domestic abuse perpetrator responses, the disparity with direct investment in essential victim-survivor support, particularly specialist ‘by and for’ services and sexual violence provision, is stark. These services remain on a cliff edge, raising a pressing question: where in these measures are victim-survivors being seen, heard, and supported?
The focus on reporting and already identified perpetrators sidelines Black, minoritised, and migrant women – particularly those with insecure immigration status – who face structural barriers to engaging
with the criminal justice system. The failure to invest in specialist ‘by and for’ services not only leaves them with limited avenues for safety but also costs the state. Estimates show investment in such services could save £127 million nationally. Without this investment, marginalised women are left with the least protections and the greatest risks. In the current political climate, these risks are further exacerbated by the way VAWG is being weaponised to fuel racist, anti-immigrant narratives – distracting from the true causes of violence and undermining the frontline work that is already saving lives.
VAWG organisations see the Conference as a vital opportunity to reset the government’s approach. We urge ministers to recognise the urgency of what is being called for – and to work in partnership with the VAWG sector to deliver the transformative change women and girls have been demanding for decades.
Selma Taha, Executive Director, Southall Black Sisters, said:
“While we welcome the government’s commitment to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, we are extremely concerned that the current approach risks leaving Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls behind. Specialist, community-based ‘by and for’ services have too often been sidelined and excluded from vital conversations about the urgent reforms needed to prevent and address VAWG. We are calling for an end to this exclusion – we must have a seat at the table to share the lived experiences and needs of some of the most marginalised women and girls, and to contribute meaningfully to shaping legal and policy reforms, particularly in an increasingly racist and hostile immigration environment. We hope that the VAWG takeover at the Labour Party Conference will be a first step toward that change.”
Gisela Valle, Executive Director, Latin American Women’s Rights Service, said:
“For far too long we have known that the prioritisation of immigration control over safety places migrant women at risk of violence and abuse whilst severely limiting their access to justice and support. Recent vital pieces of legislation such as the Domestic Abuse Act and the Victims and Prisoners Act left migrant survivors completely unprotected, cementing existing discriminatory responses that disproportionately affect black and minoritised migrant women. For this reason, an ambition to halve VAWG could not be achieved if it doesn’t specifically address the needs of those most marginalised and offers equal protection to all. The ending VAWG sector is keen to support the government’s development of a strategy that brings all of these considerations to the table to develop robust system wide responses that effectively respond to the needs of the most vulnerable. We view the VAWG takeover at the Labour Party Conference as a prime opportunity to foster this collaboration for the benefit of all.”
Andrea Vukovic, Co-Director, Women for Refugee Women, said:
“Most women seeking asylum in the UK are survivors of gender-based violence – including rape, domestic abuse, forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and female genital cutting. Yet their experiences are routinely overlooked, and instead of receiving the safety and support they need to recover, they are met with an asylum system that exposes them to further abuse, exploitation and harm. This not only causes immense suffering but directly undermines the Government’s ability to meet its pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. If asylum-seeking women are excluded from this promise, a dangerous two-tier system will persist – where asylum-seeking women, predominantly from racialised backgrounds, are treated as less deserving of protection and support. We look forward to building momentum around this issue at the Labour Party Conference, and to working with others across the sector to push for a VAWG strategy that leaves no woman behind. The government must recognise that protecting all survivors is not optional, it is essential for achieving real, lasting change.”
Dr Sara Reis, Deputy Director and Head of Policy and Research, UK Women’s Budget Group, said:
“The lifetime economic cost of sexual violence and abuse perpetrated in one year alone is estimated to be £400 billion. Failing to invest in tackling VAWG is not just morally indefensible – it’s also economically reckless.”
Gemma Sherrington, CEO, Refuge, said:
“The government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls is ambitious and important – and it’s vital we do not let that focus slip. This commitment must mean halving all forms of VAWG – both online and offline – and protecting all women and girls, including Black, minoritised and migrant women, and those with insecure immigration status. It must be backed by long-term, sustainable funding for frontline services – particularly ‘by and for’ organisations – and developed in genuine partnership with the specialist VAWG sector. We have a real opportunity to transform the systems that are failing women. We cannot afford to waste it.”
Ciara Bergman, Chief Executive, Rape Crisis England & Wales, said:
“Every year, Rape Crisis centres support enough survivors to fill Wembley Stadium. Our 24/7 Support Line connects another stadium’s worth of calls. And over a million people come to our website, most often wanting to know whether what happened to them ‘counts’.
We think it does. But a lack of political will or funding commitments means we are on the brink of losing these, and other, specialist support services. Rape Crisis Centres have not benefited from additional funding announcements, 3 Rape Crisis Centres have closed in the last year alone, and almost a third of our remaining centres (27%) are at risk of imminent closure unless the government commit to extending funding beyond March 2026. We call on the Government to secure the future of all services supporting women in the aftermath of VAWG, including vital specialist by-and-for services supporting Black, minoritised and migrant women and girls.
Survivors of male violence and abuse deserve better than this, and we know it’s possible.”
Farah Nazeer, CEO, Women’s Aid, said:
“We are at a pivotal moment in our fight towards eradicating domestic abuse – our government has made the welcome commitment to halving VAWG in the next decade and the time for decisive action is now. We urge the government to work with us and our sector colleagues to deliver change where it truly matters – the epidemic of VAWG will not be solved without addressing the root causes of misogyny and racism. Improving perpetrator responses and the criminal justice system alone will not work in isolation, we must listen to survivors and support them where they need it most, and for that, long-term, secure funding for domestic abuse services is essential. Only this can guarantee that the sector continues providing life-saving support to women and children when and where they need it most. Survivors must have the same access to support regardless of where they are in the country, regardless of their race or immigration status. The upcoming Strategy is a unique opportunity to make true, long-lasting change and keep women and children safe – we stand ready to work together to end this heinous crime once and for all.”
Andrea Simon, Executive Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition, said:
“We are now over one year on from the Labour government’s election with its manifesto commitment to halve VAWG within a decade. We are still without any published VAWG strategy which sets out what action the government plans to take to uphold the rights of women and girls to live free from violence and abuse. This state of limbo is causing great uncertainty for our coalition – with every day that passes, more
women and girls are avoidably harmed and life-saving specialist VAWG services lose staff and face risk of closure. Meanwhile, the government’s approach to migration continues to entrap survivors, whilst migrant and racialised communities are targeted and scapegoated. The challenge we face is urgent. The End Violence Against Women Coalition is participating in this VAWG takeover at Labour Party conference to ensure that VAWG is a political priority for the government, that all survivors are supported without discrimination, and to set out our recommendations for change.”
Sam Smethers, CEO, Surviving Economic Abuse, said:
“Last year, 4.1 million UK women had their money and belongings controlled by an abusive current or ex-partner, trapping them in dangerous situations and making it harder to rebuild their lives. Black, Asian and other racially marginalised women are disproportionately affected, facing economic abuse at more than twice the rate of White women. For migrant victim-survivors, the risks are even greater and escape routes even fewer. To halve violence against women and girls, the government must scrap no recourse to public funds for migrant survivors, create a firewall between statutory services and immigration enforcement, and ensure migrant survivors can open a bank account while regularising their status. The Prime Minister has rightly called economic abuse a “national emergency”. Now we need action to match those words and break the cycle of economic abuse.”
Liz Thompson, Director of External Relations, SafeLives, said:
“We are 100% behind the ambition to halve VAWG in ten years. We call on the PM and the Chancellor to back this commitment with effective long-term resourcing for the system and the services which respond to victims and survivors, particularly those working to support marginalized and minoritised victims, and ensuring these voices are heard. We want to see all Government departments playing an active role and backing any fine words in the new strategy with real cash and hard commitments. Survivor voices must be at the heart of the new strategy along with meaningful engagement with VAWG and domestic abuse services, who play such a vital role in supporting them. We see the ambition from key Ministers to driving change – let’s match that with a pan-Government strategy which goes beyond the criminal justice system and into every area of the response. We stand ready to play our part in making that real for every adult and child survivor.”
Jo Todd CBE, Chief Executive, Respect, said:
“Respect is pleased to be working with our fellow VAWG sector partners to deliver our collective messages at this year's Labour conference. The pledge to halve VAWG in a decade is an ambitious one that will only be fulfilled if the government takes a wider view that not only goes beyond criminal justice but also looks at the root causes of domestic abuse. In addition, we need to see government deliver the funding needed for victims to match the scale of the problem. We stand with our colleagues from the “by and for” organisations that have long been calling for meaningful inclusion in the development of the VAWG strategy, and for issues such as the lack of a firewall to protect migrant victims of domestic abuse to be addressed, as a matter of urgency.”
Press release: Home Office Review on data-sharing on migrant victims is not fit for purpose, say women’s rights and civil liberties groups
Southall Black Sisters (SBS), Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS) and Liberty have condemned the Government’s refusal to institute a firewall that would protect victims and witnesses of crime.
Liberty and SBS filed the first ever police super-complaint in December 2018, over the systematic sharing of victim data with immigration enforcement. The super-complaint, accompanied by 50 pages of evidence, showed that this practice was preventing victims of crime, particularly migrant women, from speaking to the police and putting them at risk.
In response, police watchdogs, HMICFRS, the College of Policing (CoP) and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) called for immediate action to stop this practice. Their report made clear that data-sharing acted as a deterrent to victims reporting crime, and that data-sharing caused significant harm to the public interest because of victims’ inability to seek protection or justice.
Today, Wednesday 15 December, the government announced the outcome of a Home Office Review[1] on data sharing between the police and Immigration Enforcement concerning migrant victims and witnesses of crime. The review makes no reference to police watchdogs’ response to SBS’ and Liberty’s super-complaint.
Pragna Patel, director of Southall Black Sisters said: “As organisations that work with some of the most vulnerable and deprived migrant victims of domestic abuse, we reject this Review and its findings.
This Review is the outcome of three years of engagement with the Home Office that has proved itself to be untrustworthy. We have been compelled to engage in meaningless consultations and meetings on data sharing with the Home Office (which we did in good faith) only to be told that the immigration system – in its present cruel, discriminatory and inhuman form – must be maintained at any cost. It makes us question not only the Home Office’s dubious claims to support all victims of abuse but also the very purpose of police-super-complaints mechanism since the outcomes are casually disregarded by the very institutions that we seek to hold accountable.”
Gisela Valle, director of the Latin American Women’s Rights Service said: “We are deeply disappointed to see that once again immigration enforcement takes precedence over the security and support needs of survivors of domestic abuse. It is contradictory for the Police and the Home Office to reiterate that survivors of domestic abuse are treated as a victim first and foremost but only insofar as it doesn’t affect the enforcement of immigration laws. Considering the ample evidence of the manipulation of survivors’ insecure immigration status by perpetrators of domestic abuse, we consider prioritising immigration enforcement over the safety of victims the state amounts to complicity in the coercion and control of migrant victims of domestic abuse.”
Liberty lawyer Lara ten Caten said: “It has never been clearer than during the pandemic – when countless people have been shut off from health services due to the risk of having their health data shared with immigration enforcement – that this practice puts lives at risk.
“The super-complaint brought by Liberty and Southall Black Sisters sought a firewall between police and the home office for immigration enforcement purposes so that victims and witnesses of crime would feel safe in coming forward. This decision by the Home Office not to implement a firewall ignores or plays down the fact that routine police discrimination already makes it harder, even dangerous, for people from marginalised backgrounds to interact with the police. This practice actively puts them, and everyone in society, at risk of crime.
“No one is safe until everyone is safe. We urge the government to reconsider their decision and implement a firewall.”
Pragna Patel, director of SBS, and Gisela Valle, director of LAWRS, added: “The Home Office is trying to re-brand Immigration Enforcement as a ‘safeguarding’ service when data sharing is a key plank of the Government’s hostile environment policy - which we say must be scrapped. This is why we strongly disagree with the proposal to create an Immigration Enforcement Migrant Victims Protocol which will in fact consolidate the sharing of domestic abuse victims' data between the police and immigration enforcement as a standardised practice across all police forces nationally. Safeguarding is clearly incompatible with the Home Office’s immigration enforcement role which is its primary purpose.
The Government told us that it was committed to a full review of the ‘hostile or compliant’ environment following the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, but the outcome of the Home Office Review provides further evidence of its unwillingness to soften, let alone dispense with, the harmful and discriminatory impact that its immigration policies have on those who are most in need of protection. The impact of data sharing has been particularly damaging during the coronavirus pandemic when migrant women experiencing domestic abuse have faced the double threat of being trapped with their attackers but unable to go to the police.”
Contact Gisela Valle at gisela@lawrs.org.uk Pragna Patel at pragna@southallblacksisters.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
- The Home Office report is available atReview of data sharing: migrant victims and witnesses of crime - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Review arose out of the first ever police super-complaint that was jointly submitted by Southall Black Sisters and Liberty in 2018 which highlighted how data sharing between the police and Immigration Enforcement deterred migrant women subject to domestic and sexual abuse and other vulnerable victims or witnesses of crime from reporting to the police. Findings from an HMICFRC investigation into the police super-complaint upheld the complaint and made clear that data-sharing was a deterrent; that there were inconsistencies and confusion across police forces about how to deal with victims and witnesses who have insecure immigration status and most significantly that harm was caused to the public interest by the victim’s inability to seek protection or justice. Despite this, the government refused to introduce statutory measures of protection including a fire wall between the police and Immigration Enforcement for migrant victims during the passage of the Domestic Abuse Bill (now an Act) in Parliament and instead committed to undertaking a Review of the matter.
Hi, this is Julia from LAWRS, is it safe for you to speak?
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the beginning of the 16 days of Activism. We’re kicking off a series of activities to increase awareness of the barriers and needs of the Latin American women experiencing VAWG in the UK with this blog post about the unique journey that every victim/survivor has and the support our team of VAWG caseworkers can offer them.
Being a Latin American VAWG caseworker
There are procedures and guidelines that we follow when calling a survivor of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) for the first time. But survivors of abuse have different experiences and they might be in distinct moments of their journeys. Even though we are prepared for this, what happens after a survivor picks up the phone is quite unpredictable.
Women experiencing VAWG sometimes feel there is something wrong in their relationship but they cannot quite name it. So they come to LAWRS to have someone listen to them and to perhaps learn more about violence against women and girls as a whole. Usually, once we start the conversation about the types and cycle of abuse, they recognise themselves as victims of domestic abuse. This can be a very difficult moment. What happens next depends on what their needs and priorities are.
Others come to our service fully aware of their situation and able to name it: I’m a survivor of domestic abuse. They might not be ready to leave their perpetrator, but they want to understand their options. They come to LAWRS in search of advice on different issues: how to report a crime to the police, protective orders, parental rights and consequences to their children, how to get a divorce, what happens with their immigration status, emotional support, English lessons, booking an appointment with their GP, access to interpreters and so on.
In some cases, women come to us at the point where they need to flee the house and escape the abuse because the violence has escalated. They might be homeless, destitute, in need of medical help and feeling like they are stuck in a horrible and endless situation. We explore their options together and discuss their plans.
In the Latin American community, due to a lack of support network, structural inequalities, the language barrier, the lack of knowledge of the system, the isolation and insecure immigration status, many women endure violence and abuse for extensive periods, and often until it becomes a high risk situation, because they think they don’t have other options. Perpetrators will exploit the victim’s vulnerability, including in some cases their insecure immigration status, to manipulate and further abuse them.
“If you report me to the police, I will report you to the Home Office”
“If you leave me, you will be deported and I will keep the children”
“If you don’t do what I want, I will call immigration control on you”.
Our role at LAWRS is to listen to the victim/survivor, to remind her that this is not her fault and that we believe her. We also connect them with relevant services for further necessary information and support. We walk alongside them in their journey, always understanding and accepting that what happens after that initial phone call, depends on the survivor’s needs and priorities. This means that she decides what to do with the information she now has. Women are experts of their experience; they know what’s best for them. Our duty is to support them to get there and to make sure they don’t walk alone.
Do you know how to identify sexual harassment in the workplace?
Almost every woman, trans or non-binary person you know can, unfortunately, tell you about an experience in which they have been a victim of gender-based violence – from being catcalled to sexual assault. If you are a woman, trans or non-binary person yourself, this is most likely not news to you.
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is embedded in our society’s patriarchal structure in which men have traditionally controlled the power. It is present in all the spheres of our lives, especially in our relationships – whether they are with family members, partners or colleagues. It affects all of us, but its effects can be more harmful for those who are part of minority groups (migrants, women of colour, LGBTQ+, undocumented people, etc.).
Sexual harassment is a form of VAWG which may also occur in the workplace.
It can manifest itself in sexist practices, ranging from “casual” and seemingly harmless habits – such as a joke or a gesture – to sexual assault and even feminicide – the killing of a woman on the basis of her gender. Certain behaviours have become so normalised that, sometimes, we fail to recognize that they are acts of violence.
So, what is sexual harassment in the workplace?
It is any unwelcome sexual behaviour that creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading or humiliating working environment and which has the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a worker.
To better understand the presence of these elements, you should also take into account that:
- A sexual behaviour may comprise physical, verbal, and non-verbal conducts (e.g., texts and images);
- It doesn’t matter if the perpetrator alleges they didn’t intend to make the victim feel uncomfortable;
- Free and valid consent is key in any adult sexual contact;
- The victim doesn’t need to have a written contract from their employer to receive protection;
- When one’s dignity is affected, it may lead to feelings of shame, humiliation, fear, frustration, vulnerability; and
- A hostile environment may be intimidating, degrading, humiliating or offensive.
Can you recognise sexual harassment in the workplace?
Sexual harassment in the workplace can be a serious incident of sexual assault, but it can also be a less obvious conduct which makes you uncomfortable. It may be sexual comments or jokes about yourself or a colleague; physical behaviour, including unwelcome sexual advances – such as touching, hugging or kissing, and various forms of sexual assault. It also includes displaying pictures, photos or drawings of a sexual nature – such as circulating pornography, by email or WhatsApp, or having pictures of naked/semi-naked women in the workplace. It could be, as well, requests or demands for sexual favours, or even leering or staring inappropriately.
If you are unsure whether you have been a victim of sexual harassment, or you want to protect yourself or a colleague from it, you can ask yourself the following questions:
- Have I been exposed to a conduct of a sexual nature in the workplace coming from a superior or colleague?
- Has such behaviour been undesired and/or unrequested by me?
- Has such behaviour affected my dignity as a person?
- Has the situation created a hostile environment in my workplace?
It is important to know that sexual harassment in the workplace, and other forms of abuse of power and VAWG, are illegal – most of them punishable by law. The UK has a legal system containing rules that protect you from these behaviours, and that enshrine your rights, especially those ensuring you can live your life with dignity and free of violence.
You can promote the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace, by requesting your employer to have a clear, comprehensive policy in place against sexual harassment. In case of an alleged sexual harassment case, this policy will alert all parties to their rights, roles and responsibilities. It should also set out how to promptly and efficiently deal with a sexual harassment claim.
If you think that you or a friend or colleague have been victim of sexual harassment in the workplace, you can contact your Union’s Women Officer and/ or representative. They can guide you on what to do next. You can also contact specialist organisations such as the Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS), through our Helpline 0808- 145-4909 or by email: info@lawrs.org.uk.
If the harassment is very serious, it might also be a crime. If a colleague or supervisor has sexually assaulted you or made physical threats, or you are worried about your safety, you can contact the police or the National Health Service (NHS). You have a right to ask for an interpreter when you speak to them.
Always remember that you are not alone, and that it is not your fault.
Domestic violence during isolation
Isolation as a result of the COVID-19 emergency could increase incidents of domestic violence. At LAWRS, we want you to know that you are not alone. If you are experiencing or are at risk of domestic violence, follow these steps to keep yourself and your family safe.
Stay safe at home
During this isolation, your home may not be a safe environment. If you are at risk of domestic violence, take these steps to keep yourself and your family safe:
- Keep your cell phone charged and with you at all times.
- Agree on a code word with friends or family you trust to call the police in case you contact them.
- Talk to your children about where to go if your partner becomes aggressive. Ask them not to intervene as they could put themselves in greater danger.
- Ask your children to dial 999 only until they are in a safe place. They should know how to say your full address in English.
- If your neighbours are aware of the situation, let them know that they should call the police if they hear an altercation.
- If your partner becomes violent, avoid the kitchen, the garage, or any place where there may be objects that can be used as weapons.
If you need advice, call the LAWRS team
0771 928 1714
Monday to Thursday from 10am to 1pm
0759 597 0580
Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm
- If you can’t call, email us at referrals@lawrs.org.uk with your name, phone number and a safe time to call you.
- In case of imminent danger you should always call 999. Regardless of your immigration status, remember that you can always ask the police for help.
Always remember that you are not alone.
Voices of Resilience: short documentary
Migrant and refugee women face multiple barriers when arriving in the EU and the current political anti-migrant climate has made their situations direr. Experiences of gender-based abuse, exploitation at work and isolation have been exacerbated by the progressive erosion of migrant and women’s rights.
On International Migrant Day 2018, LAWRS launches the short documentary titled: “Voices of resilience: Migrant and Refugee women in Europe” which highlights the experiences of migrant women in the UK, Spain, Poland and Italy and sharing their experiences and calls for change.
The short documentary was made as part of the Women, Empowerment, Integration and Participation project (WEIP) run by LAWRS (UK), Differenza Donna (Italy), KARAT Coalition (Poland) and Red Acoge (Spain) and brought the voices and experiences of migrant and refugee women to the forefront. The documentary was first screened in November at the WEIP’s international conference in London, where more than 20 migrant and women organisations in Europe highlighted the role of migrant women’s lived experiences and provided recommendations to uphold their right to integrate and to live free of violence and discrimination.
Sophia Gomez Pelaez, a migrant woman in Spain, interviewed in the short documentary states:
“We come looking for other opportunities, especially as women as we are searching to cover family needs. However, it is difficult to find shelter as we often face rejection”
Moreover, Cathrine Nsamba, a migrant woman in Italy also interviewed (and photographed above) recommends:
“I was supported by the organisation to learn more and to understand more […]and my advice for women like me are to go inside leadership and campaign for these leaderships”
Finally, Alma Gatica, the WEIP Coordinator at the Latin American Women’s Rights Service stresses the importance of a migrant and gender perspective in our work.
“We, migrant women, have to get access to decision-making spaces where policies are discussed so we can fully participate in the host country: socially, politically and economically. We are the leaders of our own empowerment journey, both as migrants and as women”
Watch the full short documentary:
Co-funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration fund of the European Commission
We can’t fight in the dark: Brazilian women facing violence
A research by the King’s College in partnership with LAWRS found out that VAWG among Brazilian women in London is “alarmingly widespread”, with 4 in every 5 Brazilian women in London have experienced some kind of violence.
The study, published in March 2018, shed a light on cases of violence suffered by Brazilian women in London, provided data and offered policy recommendations to tackle the issue. According to the study emotional/psychological violence was the commonest type of violence experienced in London (48%), followed by physical violence (38%), with 14% experiencing sexual violence.
The study also found that cases of VAWG are intersectional as women of mixed race were more likely to experience violence (63%) than white women (44%). Insecure immigration status prevented women from coming forward and reporting the cases of violence to the police. Apart from highlighting the need for the Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) Bill to set standards for the protection of migrant victims’, some of the proposed solutions to prevent VAWG cases with Brazilian women are extending ‘recourse to public funds’ to domestic violence victims, specialist training for agency officers; and increased collaboration between support organisations and government authorities. The study reinforces the need for safe reporting mechanisms to be implemented as we campaign in Step Up Migrant Women.
