SBS Seeks Support for Amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill

A big Thank You to all our users, LAWRS, supporters and MPs who made the meeting on the 18th March on migrant women and the Domestic Abuse Bill such a success. There is a growing consensus that the exclusion of migrant women from any meaningful protection in the Bill is untenable.

Please help us to build a momentum for our #ProtectionForAll campaign.

What we are calling for:

• An extension of the Domestic Violence Rule to cover all abused migrant women;
• An Extension of the Destitution and Domestic Violence Concession to cover all abused migrant women and to extend the period from three to six months;
• A comprehensive strategy on violence against abused migrant women and girls so that it addresses all the barriers that prevent them from obtaining effective protection and justice.

For more information on these amendments and why they are necessary please read our briefing paper below.

What you can do?

• Please sign here if you or your organisation wishes to support these amendments and encourage others to sign up;
• Please write to your respective MPs asking them to support these amendments during the passage of the Bill.
• Please do join our mailing list for updates on our #ProtectionForAll campaign and follow us on social media and support us to ensure these amendments are adopted.

Protection from abuse and torture is a human right; it cannot be dependent on visa status.

Notes

The super-complaint lodged by Liberty and Southall Black Sisters in December 2018 included more than 50 pages of representations and interviews that show:

• There is a strong need for consistent policies and guidance prohibiting data-sharing by all 43 constabularies – with successive policies by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) not up to scratch
• Data from victims and witnesses of crime were frequently shared with immigration enforcement after reporting very serious crimes to the police. The evidence also shows that such actions deter victims from reporting crimes. The complaint asserted this breaches the police’s obligation under human rights law to investigate serious crimes
• Police actions have enabled criminals to weaponise their victim’s immigration status, as they can be coerced into not reporting – trapping victims in situations where they continued to be abused, or are forced to participate in crime

About Liberty

Liberty challenges injustice defends freedom and campaigns for everyone in the UK to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect. We’re an independent membership organisation, and our principles are guided by evidence and expertise – not political agenda, profit or popular opinion.

We use our voice in courtrooms, in the news, on the streets and in politics to demand and deliver lasting change to benefit the many and most marginalised.

Since 1934 we’ve inspired and empowered people to defend their rights, and the rights of their family, friends and communities. Join us. Stand up to power.

About Southall Black Sisters

Southall Black Sisters is one of the UK’s leading women’s organisations for black and minority ethnic (BME) women. Established in 1979, we operate an advice, resource, campaigning and advocacy centre. Whilst based in West London, we have a national reach. The bulk of our work is directed at assisting women and children – who are overwhelmingly survivors of domestic and other forms of gender-based violence – to obtain effective protection and to assert their fundamental human rights. In recent years, we have been campaigning for protection measures for migrant women to be included in the Domestic Abuse Bill.