“Glaring holes” in the landmark Domestic Abuse Bill mean many women will still have no escape route from violence or being killed, campaigners are warning, ahead of crucial votes next week.
Ministers are being urged to make urgent changes to the legislation – championed by Theresa May – when it returns to the Commons next week, to give proper protection from partners or stalkers.
The bill has been beefed up during a protracted three-year journey, creating a legal duty on local councils to provide refuge spaces and halting cross-examination by abusers in courts.
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But women turning to community health services for help, those stalked at work and – most alarmingly – migrant women will continue to fall through the cracks, it is feared.
Jess Phillips, a Labour MP and key campaigner, revealed police officers are paying for abuse victims to stay in hotels “out of their own pockets” because victims are denied help under the harsh no recourse to public funds (NRPF) rule – a bar that will remain in place.
“These are often the hardest cases, involving the highest risk victims – they end up being the names [of murdered women] I read out in parliament every year,” Ms Phillips warned, speaking to The Independent .
“The pledge to reduce domestic homicide will not be served until these gaps are filled.”
The charity Women’s Aid also called for the NRPF rule to be axed and for a duty on health professionals to provide vital support, saying: “Only one in five survivors calls the police.”
In March, in what has become a grim annual event, Ms Phillips named more than 100 women murdered by men in the past year – taking more than four minutes to do so.
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1/50 4 July 2020A member of bar staff wearing PPE in the form of a face mask, pours drinks inside the The Goldengrove in Stratford
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12/50 23 June 2020Tony Bennett the owner of The Devereux pub in Temple, London. Pub and hospitality bosses have cheered the Government’s proposals to allow customers through their doors again on July 4 as “a welcome relief”. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday June 23, 2020. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that pubs, restaurants and cinemas will be able to reopen from July 4, with “one metre-plus” distancing measures in place
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13/50 22 June 2020Police forensics officers carry out a search near Forbury Gardens, in Reading town centre, the scene of a multiple stabbing attack which took place at around 7pm on Saturday, leaving three people dead and another three seriously injured
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23/50 12 June 2020A Black Lives Matter supporter sings to crowds who marched with her in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in London. The death of an African American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
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28/50 7 June 2020The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol
SWNS
29/50 6 June 2020Children pose for their family in front of discarded placards fixed on a wall in Piccadilly Gardens after a Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Manchester. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
Getty
30/50 5 June 2020Protesters kneel in Trafalgar Square during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, England. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
Getty
31/50 4 June 2020Protestors march from Windsor Castle in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement
Getty
32/50 3 June 2020People wearing face masks hold banners in Hyde Park during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis
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34/50 1 June 2020Customers socially distance themselves as they queue to enter Ikea in Warrington. The store opening saw large queues of people and traffic on adjacent roads as it reopened after the lockdown. The furniture and housewares chain reopened its stores across England and Northern Ireland subject to several restrictions, keeping its restaurants closed and asking customers to shop alone
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35/50 31 May 2020A man wearing a protective face mask kneels in front of police officers during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd near the U.S. Embassy, London, Britai
Reuters
36/50 30 May 2020Visitors at Grassholme Reservoir in Lunedale, Co Durham are able to cross an ancient packhorse bridge as work on the dam wall means water levels have dropped signifcantly to reveal this monument of the pas
UK
37/50 29 May 2020British Tennis player Maia Lumsden in action at Bridge of Allan Tennis Club. People can meet family and friends outdoors and play sports such as golf and tennis again as the country is moving into phase one of the Scottish Government’s plan for gradually lifting lockdown
PA
38/50 28 May 2020A police frogman, searches for a weapon in Abington Lake in in Northampton
Getty
39/50 27 May 2020Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears before the Liaison Committee via Zoom from the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street, amid the coronavirus
10 Downing Street/Reuters
40/50 26 May 2020Members of the public relax on the beach at Botany Bay in Margate
Getty
41/50 25 May 2020Dominic Cummings, senior aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, makes a statement inside 10 Downing Street, London, over allegations he breached coronavirus lockdown restrictions
AP
42/50 24 May 2020A demonstrator holds a sign reading ‘Why are you above the law?’ outside the house of Dominic Cummings in London, following allegations Cummings broke coronavirus lockdown rules by travelling across the country
Reuters
43/50 23 May 2020People take a walk near Durdle Door as cows graze in Lulworth
Reuters
44/50 22 May 2020Waves break onto a wall at Brighton beach
Reuters
45/50 21 May 2020Cafe owner Francini Osorio serves customers in a trial phase during the coronavirus lockdown. Osorio has installed an air purifier and 35 clear shower curtains, which will divide customers and tables, in the Francini Cafe De Colombia, Worcester, ready for the re-opening of his business as lockdown restrictions are eased
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46/50 20 May 2020People at Bournemouth beach in Dorset, as people flock to parks and beaches with lockdown measures eased. The Met Office has predicted the hottest day of the year
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47/50 19 May 2020A dog jumps into the water as families relax at a Lido in London
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48/50 18 May 2020A fan celebrates outside Celtic Park after Celtic were crowned champions of the Scottish Premiership. Hearts were also relegated after a decision was made to conclude the season with immediate effect
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49/50 17 May 2020People on Brighton beach after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown
PA
50/50 16 May 2020Police lead away Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as protesters gather in breach of lockdown rules in Hyde Park in London after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.
PA
1/50 4 July 2020A member of bar staff wearing PPE in the form of a face mask, pours drinks inside the The Goldengrove in Stratford
AFP via Getty
2/50 3 July 2020Cardboard cutouts of fans in the stands prior to the League One play-off semi final match between Portsmouth and Oxford United at Fratton Park
PA
3/50 2 July 2020A diver cleans the inside window of the seal tank at Tynemouth Aquarium in North Shields, as it prepares to open on Saturday after further coronavirus lockdown restrictions are lifted in England
PA
4/50 1 July 2020Slackliner Sandor Nagy practices on the beach in Boscombe, on the south coast of England
AFP via Getty
5/50 30 June 2020(left to right) Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, and Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill attending the funeral of senior Irish Republican and former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey in west Belfast
PA
6/50 29 June 2020Former Team GB Rhythmic Gymnastic dancer Hannah Martin during a training session at Ouse Valley Viaduct in Sussex
Reuters
7/50 28 June 2020People visit Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire, that recently reopened following the easing of coronavirus lockdown restriction
PA
8/50 27 June 2020A protest for Justice for Shukri Abdi on Trafalgar Square in London, following a raft of Black Lives Matter protests across the UK
PA
9/50 26 June 2020Police at the scene of an incident at the Park Inn Hotel in central Glasgow. Scottish police said armed officers shot dead a man after a suspected stabbing in the city centre left six others injured, including one of their colleagues. Several roads were closed and the surrounding area was cordoned off
AFP via Getty
10/50 25 June 2020A horse is washed down at Haydock Racecourse
PA
11/50 24 June 2020People enjoy the hot weather on Margate beach
Reuters
12/50 23 June 2020Tony Bennett the owner of The Devereux pub in Temple, London. Pub and hospitality bosses have cheered the Government’s proposals to allow customers through their doors again on July 4 as “a welcome relief”. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday June 23, 2020. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that pubs, restaurants and cinemas will be able to reopen from July 4, with “one metre-plus” distancing measures in place
PA
13/50 22 June 2020Police forensics officers carry out a search near Forbury Gardens, in Reading town centre, the scene of a multiple stabbing attack which took place at around 7pm on Saturday, leaving three people dead and another three seriously injured
PA
14/50 21 June 2020Soccer Football – Premier League – Everton v Liverpool – Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain – June 21, 2020 Children play football outside the stadium before the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
Action Images via Reuters
15/50 20 June 2020Arsenal’s midfielder Nicolas Pepe kneels before the Premier League match against Brighton and Hove Albion at the American Express Community Stadium in southern England
AFP via Getty
16/50 19 June 2020Bianca Walkden during a training session at the National Taekwondo Centre in Manchester
PA
17/50 18 June 2020French President Emmanuel Macron gestures about social distancing alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he arrives at Downing Street for a meeting. Macron also visited London to commemorate the 80th anniversary of former French president Charles de Gaulle’s appeal to French people to resist the Nazi occupation during World War II
AFP/Getty
18/50 17 June 2020Players kneel, as well as, having ‘Black Lives Matter’ in place of names on their shirts prior to the start of the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Sheffield United at Villa Park in Birmingham. The league resumed after its three-month suspension because of coronavirus
AP
19/50 16 June 2020Motakhayyel ridden by Jim Crowley, right, wins the Buckingham Palace Handicap during day one of Royal Ascot. This year, the flat racing’s biggest meeting, is behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak
PA
20/50 15 June 2020Queues form at Primark at the Rushden Lakes shopping complex after the government relaxed coronavirus lockdown laws significantly, allowing zoos, safari parks and non-essential shops to open to visitors
Getty
21/50 14 June 2020A man kneels at a commemoration to mark the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in London. The fire claimed 72 lives on 14 June 2017
PA
22/50 13 June 2020Protesters confront police in Whitehall near Parliament Square, during a protest by the Democratic Football Lads Alliance
PA
23/50 12 June 2020A Black Lives Matter supporter sings to crowds who marched with her in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in London. The death of an African American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
Getty
24/50 11 June 2020Scouts show their support at the Lord Baden-Powell statue in Poole. The statue of Robert Baden-Powell on Poole Quay is to be placed in “safe storage” following concerns about his racial views
Getty
25/50 10 June 2020Social distancing markers around the penguin enclosure at London Zoo. Staff have been preparing and are now ready for reopening next week with new signage, one-way trails for visitors to follow, and extra handwashing and sanitiser stations in place
PA
26/50 9 June 2020Protestors hold placards and shout slogans during during a protest called by the Rhodes Must Fall campaign calling for the removal of the statue of British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes outside Oriel College, at the University of Oxford
AFP via Getty
27/50 8 June 2020Hermione Wilson helps to install a new artwork at Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh, created as a tribute to the NHS titled “A Thousand Thank Yous” originally devised by the late Allan Kaprow which consists of colourful painted messages on cardboard and has been directed remotely by London-based artist Peter Liversidge
PA
28/50 7 June 2020The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol
SWNS
29/50 6 June 2020Children pose for their family in front of discarded placards fixed on a wall in Piccadilly Gardens after a Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Manchester. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
Getty
30/50 5 June 2020Protesters kneel in Trafalgar Square during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, England. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
Getty
31/50 4 June 2020Protestors march from Windsor Castle in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement
Getty
32/50 3 June 2020People wearing face masks hold banners in Hyde Park during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis
Reuters
33/50 2 June 2020Street artist Nath Murdoch touches up his anti-racism mural in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
PA
34/50 1 June 2020Customers socially distance themselves as they queue to enter Ikea in Warrington. The store opening saw large queues of people and traffic on adjacent roads as it reopened after the lockdown. The furniture and housewares chain reopened its stores across England and Northern Ireland subject to several restrictions, keeping its restaurants closed and asking customers to shop alone
Getty
35/50 31 May 2020A man wearing a protective face mask kneels in front of police officers during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd near the U.S. Embassy, London, Britai
Reuters
36/50 30 May 2020Visitors at Grassholme Reservoir in Lunedale, Co Durham are able to cross an ancient packhorse bridge as work on the dam wall means water levels have dropped signifcantly to reveal this monument of the pas
UK
37/50 29 May 2020British Tennis player Maia Lumsden in action at Bridge of Allan Tennis Club. People can meet family and friends outdoors and play sports such as golf and tennis again as the country is moving into phase one of the Scottish Government’s plan for gradually lifting lockdown
PA
38/50 28 May 2020A police frogman, searches for a weapon in Abington Lake in in Northampton
Getty
39/50 27 May 2020Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears before the Liaison Committee via Zoom from the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street, amid the coronavirus
10 Downing Street/Reuters
40/50 26 May 2020Members of the public relax on the beach at Botany Bay in Margate
Getty
41/50 25 May 2020Dominic Cummings, senior aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, makes a statement inside 10 Downing Street, London, over allegations he breached coronavirus lockdown restrictions
AP
42/50 24 May 2020A demonstrator holds a sign reading ‘Why are you above the law?’ outside the house of Dominic Cummings in London, following allegations Cummings broke coronavirus lockdown rules by travelling across the country
Reuters
43/50 23 May 2020People take a walk near Durdle Door as cows graze in Lulworth
Reuters
44/50 22 May 2020Waves break onto a wall at Brighton beach
Reuters
45/50 21 May 2020Cafe owner Francini Osorio serves customers in a trial phase during the coronavirus lockdown. Osorio has installed an air purifier and 35 clear shower curtains, which will divide customers and tables, in the Francini Cafe De Colombia, Worcester, ready for the re-opening of his business as lockdown restrictions are eased
PA
46/50 20 May 2020People at Bournemouth beach in Dorset, as people flock to parks and beaches with lockdown measures eased. The Met Office has predicted the hottest day of the year
PA
47/50 19 May 2020A dog jumps into the water as families relax at a Lido in London
AP
48/50 18 May 2020A fan celebrates outside Celtic Park after Celtic were crowned champions of the Scottish Premiership. Hearts were also relegated after a decision was made to conclude the season with immediate effect
PA
49/50 17 May 2020People on Brighton beach after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown
PA
50/50 16 May 2020Police lead away Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as protesters gather in breach of lockdown rules in Hyde Park in London after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.
PA
What she calls an “epidemic of male violence against women” prompted the Domestic Abuse Bill, to increase prosecutions and eradicate a postcode lottery in the way victims are dealt with by police forces.
The last prime minister called it a personal priority, but it was delayed three times, by the general elections in 2017 and 2019 and by Boris Johnson’s illegal shutdown of parliament last summer.
It will finally clear the Commons on Monday, creating a new domestic abuse protection order to make it easier to take out restraining orders in abuse cases stopping short of violence, or the threat of it.
Campaigners are also delighted by the legal duty on councils to provide refuge services, that the homeless will be a priority, and by the changes in family courts, including to ensure victims and alleged attackers do not share spaces.
But there are huge concerns over funding and whether an estimated £173m required for a proper national network of refuges will be made available.
And Ms Phillips said she was still urging ministers to go much further in three areas:
* To require health and other community services – which are approached by 70 per cent of abuse victims – to provide refuges
* Better protection at work – arguing a majority of women with stalkers report they “use workplaces to control them”, and describing a promised review as “a way of kicking this into the long grass”.
* An end to the NRPF policy – to ensure “immigration status does not decide if a woman gets support”.
The Birmingham Yardley MP explained: “If you are here on a student visa, or a work visa and you have no recourse to public funds, you will not be entitled to go into a refuge.
“When you’re a victim and you’re standing in front of a police officer, or a housing officer, or a doctor, the level of support they will be able to find for you that night – for you to be safe from harm – will depend on what stamp is in your passport.
“The police would have to say, ‘I’m afraid you are going back to your house tonight.’ Loads of officers have written to me saying this is a massive problem.”
And she pleaded with ministers to concede further ground, saying: “I will never give in – I will blame them for every migrant woman murdered.
“The bill now is in much better shape than when it started, but still has some glaring holes in it.”
Nicki Norman, acting chief executive of Women’s Aid, echoed the criticism that the bill badly needed more work.
“For many survivors, health care settings are one of the few places that they feel safe to disclose domestic and sexual abuse and seek confidential support without the perpetrator present,” she said.
And she added: “Migrant women with no recourse to public funds face insurmountable barriers to accessing support services, including a refuge space, which is paid for by housing benefit.”
But the Home Office said it was “working hard to support migrant victims, including investing £1.5m to help them access safe accommodation”.
“The Domestic Abuse Bill is a game-changing piece of legislation that will transform how we deal with this horrific crime and will ensure that victims of domestic abuse and their families are supported and protected while perpetrators face justice,” a spokesperson said.
“For those in the workplace, protection orders can support anyone struggling, and the government has launched a review of support in the workplace for victims of domestic abuse.”
Ellie Butt, head of policy at the charity Refuge, welcomed “the potential to transform the response to domestic abuse”, but called for exemptions from repaying universal credit advances.
“Making sure that the benefits system works for women fleeing domestic abuse is one of the most important changes the government can make to protect survivors,” she argued.
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk