Solace submitted written evidence to the Home Office’s call for evidence for its new cross-Government violence against women and girls strategy 2021-24, based on our work with around 27,000 survivors across London. The Home Office plans to consult on a separate domestic abuse strategy later this year.
Our key recommendations include:
- The strategy should reflect the impact of the pandemic and the medium and long-term effects of the economic recession on VAWG.
- Domestic abuse must remain within the VAWG strategy, which should be gendered and intersectional.
- The strategy should commission an expansion of services designed to meet the needs of women and children and young people who have experienced multiple disadvantages.
- The Government must adopt amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill to extend its provisions to migrant women and the VAWG strategy should learn lessons from the innovative crisis accommodation models commissioned during the pandemic
- The VAWG strategy should provide a national multi-year funding settlement for the specialist VAWG sector, delivered by all government departments responsible for VAWG – including ring-fenced funding for specialist VAWG services including those led ‘by and for’ Black and minoritised women, Deaf and disabled women and LGBT+ survivors.
Solace also supports the Joint Principles for the VAWG Strategy 2021-24, put together by a number of specialist VAWG organisations. The principles are set out in full: here:-
If you’re interested in our public affairs and campaign work contact Erin Mansell, Public Affairs Manager e.mansell@solacewomensaid.org