Children and migrant women are being overlooked by new laws designed to protect victims and punish perpetrators of domestic violence, charities have said.<\/p>\n
The long-awaited domestic abuse bill will be introduced in the House of Commons on Tuesday for its first reading; it was delayed by Boris Johnson\u2019s decision to prorogue parliament and hold an election last year.<\/p>\n
Further to the legislation, the government has started a review into what support can be provided to migrant victims of domestic abuse.<\/p>\n
The legislation has been broadly welcomed by women\u2019s rights campaigners and domestic abuse charities.<\/p>\n
However, some groups are concerned the laws do not go far enough to help children as well as migrant or black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women.<\/p>\n
The Step Up Migrant Women coalition, comprising more than 40 BAME specialist frontline services and migrant and human rights organisations, welcomed the bill but said it risked leaving behind migrant and BAME women who have been abused.<\/p>\n
They said abused women with insecure immigration status often did not seek help from the police for fear of being reported to the Home Office and detained, deported or made destitute. Migrant women, they added, were predominantly barred from refuges and denied a safe place to sleep because they did not have access to public funds.<\/p>\n
Gisela Valle, the director of the Latin American Women\u2019s Rights Service, said: \u201cBy neglecting to address the barriers experienced by migrant victims, the bill falls short of realising the government\u2019s stated goals of protecting victims and tackling crime. All victims, regardless of their immigration status, must be able to report to the police safely and without fear, otherwise they cannot be protected, and their abusers will not be held accountable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are disappointed that migrant survivors are once again overlooked in this bill in spite of the recommendations made last year by the parliamentary joint committee on the draft domestic abuse bill to establish a firewall to separate reporting of a crime and access to support from immigration control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marchu Girma, the deputy director of Women for Refugee Women, said: \u201cWomen with insecure immigration status are more vulnerable to abuse and yet they are unable to report violence and seek justice without fear because there is currently no separation of immigration enforcement from police response to victims of crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the bill \u201cshould ensure all women, including migrant women, are able to report safely and are protected when they report abuse and not penalised because of their immigration status\u201d.<\/p>\n
The government described the latest bill as the \u201cmost comprehensive package ever to tackle this horrendous crime\u201d, saying the \u201cenhanced\u201d proposals would go even further to support and protect victims and punish perpetrators and had been widely supported by charities, MPs and law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Action for Children estimates tens of thousands of children have been at risk of domestic abuse since the general election. The charity\u2019s director of policy and campaigns, Imran Hussain, said it was vital the bill recognised a child as an \u201cinnocent victim and not just a witness\u201d.<\/p>\n
Emily Hilton, a senior policy officer at the NSPCC, said the government was missing a \u201clandmark opportunity\u201d to make a difference, adding: \u201cIt is extremely disappointing that the bill in its current form fails to protect children from the devastating impact of living with domestic abuse, leaving thousands at continued risk because the help they deserve is not in place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/litigation-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>