We are devastated by the tragic loss of Harshita Brella’s life.
Her murder, allegedly committed by her husband Pankaj Lamba who was known to have subjected her to domestic abuse, highlights a troubling pattern of state failure to address violence against women and girls (VAWG) with the seriousness it merits. This failure is further reflected in the limitations of mechanisms like Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs), which can inadvertently embolden perpetrators and put victim-survivors at further risk of harm if not supported by rigorous risk assessments and tailored safety plans. Harshita, tragically, had been under the protection of a DVPO – one that ultimately failed to protect her.
Black, minoritised and migrant victims like Harshita are disproportionately affected by state inaction on VAWG due to the lack of structural safeguards in law and policy, compounded by pervasive institutional racism. Based on our frontline experience, we know that Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors face heightened disbelief from statutory agencies, eroding their trust in the state system and discouraging them from seeking assistance. Even when they do report abuse as Harshita did, their engagement is often cut short by statutory agencies’ inadequate understanding of their unique experiences of abuse and failure to provide culturally appropriate support. Provision of unsafe and unsuitable accommodation that neglects Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors’ specialised needs can make them vulnerable to further harm. For Harshita, this neglect proved fatal.
These failures are rooted in an intersection of systemic inequalities: race, immigration status, and socio-economic disadvantage. Migrant women with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), in particular, are left with a stark choice between entrapment in domestic abuse, destitution and/or deportation. Without urgent reform – such as lifting NRPF restrictions, mandating cultural competency training for statutory agencies, and embedding intersectional approaches into VAWG responses – the system will continue to fail the most vulnerable.
Harshita’s case underscores the need for immediate action to ensure that victim-survivors are met with belief, support and tailored interventions, rather than systemic indifference. Only then can we begin to break the cycles of abuse and exploitation that disproportionately harm Black, minoritised and migrant women and girls.
With the inquest into Harshita’s death opened yesterday, our hearts and thoughts are with her family during this deeply painful time. We will closely follow this case, hoping the perpetrator is swiftly found and brought to justice. Harshita’s tragic loss serves as a stark reminder of the lives that could have been saved through timely and effective state intervention.
In her memory, and that of countless other victims, we will continue to campaign for a coordinated, whole-system response to VAWG. This includes ensuring specialist, community-based by and for services are properly resourced to provide the tailored, wraparound support that Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors urgently need. Ending systemic discrimination requires dismantling policies rooted in the hostile environment, which perpetuate harm and exclusion. Now more than ever, we call for urgent policy reform to prevent further tragedies and to uphold the rights and dignity of Black, minoritised and migrant women.
