Key Facts

• Gilmara Garcia came to the UK four years ago with a former partner who promised her British citizenship.
• Upon experiencing abuse, she became undocumented after her tourist visa expired.
• The police initially refused to help due to her immigration status and advised her to go to her embassy.
• The session ended at 2:45 pm.
• Karen Buck thanked Somiya Basar and Saliha Rashid for providing evidence.
• Saliha Rashid highlighted the need for accessible information formats and adequately funded services for disabled survivors.
• Somiya Basar's children are British citizens.
• She has been waiting for eight months for the Home Office to make a decision on her application to remain in Britain as a parent.
• Southall Black Sisters provides support to Somiya Basar, who does not have access to public funding due to her immigration status.
• Karen Buck is guiding the time for questions during the Domestic Abuse Bill discussion.
• Survivors need access to public funds irrespective of their immigration status.
• Timely help is crucial for survivors of domestic abuse.
• Lucy Hadley is the campaigns and policy manager at Women's Aid Federation of England.
• Andrea Simon is head of public affairs for the End Violence Against Women Coalition.
• The Women's Aid Federation works with around 300 local services across England to support women and children in domestic abuse situations.
• The Istanbul convention requires measures to secure victims' rights without discrimination.
• Migrant status is listed as one of the grounds of discrimination under article 4(3) of the Istanbul convention.
• Economic abuse is recognized in the Bill as a key part of domestic abuse that impacts survivors' access to safety and ability to leave an abusive relationship.
• Criminalising under-16s for domestic abuse is considered unhelpful.
• Children who observe or experience domestic abuse need specific protections.
• Sixty-one percent of survivors had no access to special protection measures in family courts.
• The domestic abuse commissioner’s role involves driving up standards and improving practice across the public sector.
• A cross-government framework is essential for coordinating Government responses to violence against women and girls (VAWG).
• Migrant women with no recourse to public funds face difficulties in accessing support measures.
• The national referral mechanism focuses on trafficking victims, not domestic abuse survivors.
• Suzanne Jacob is chief executive of SafeLives, a UK-wide charity working to end domestic abuse.
• Ellie Butt is head of policy and public affairs for Refuge, which provides services for survivors of gender-based violence.
• The session aims to discuss the Domestic Abuse Bill's impact on victims and perpetrators.
• The amendment aims to provide victims of domestic abuse with automatic priority need for homelessness assistance.
• Nicole Jacobs is appointed as the first domestic abuse commissioner, recognized for her work in improving understanding and service provision.
• Suzanne Jacob from SafeLives notes that the current statutory duty responds to only 0.5% of the more than 2 million victims experiencing domestic abuse annually.
• Demand for the national domestic abuse helpline has increased by 66% since the start of the pandemic.
• Web traffic to the helpline, including live chat services, has surged over 900% in recent weeks.
• The number of women seeking refuge places through the helpline but finding none suitable is on the rise.
• Domestic abuse hotline calls have skyrocketed recently.
• Minister Victoria Atkins has visited the helpline.
• Refuge provides around 48 refuges, half of which are occupied by children on any given day.
• The proposal is for a register similar to the violent and sex offenders' register.
• Police are currently overwhelmed by different databases, which raises concerns about adding another register.
• Step Up Migrant Women coalition calls for four provisions in the Bill: protection under Istanbul convention, separate reporting pathway for migrant victims, extension of domestic violence rule concession period, and removal of no recourse to public funds requirement for visa applications.
• Women with insecure immigration status are often turned away by the police when they try to report domestic abuse.
• A King’s College London report documented four cases of women entering detention after reporting crimes related to domestic violence.
• Children affected by domestic abuse should be recognised as victims in their own right and receive appropriate funding for recovery.
• About 60% of police forces in the country make referrals to the Home Office.
• A woman waited 18 months for a referral to a speech therapist before entering a refuge.
• After arriving in a refuge, she waited another 8 months for a referral to speech therapy and her child was too old to benefit from it.
• Concerns about the onerous nature of DAPOs and whether they will be used by police forces versus bail options.
• There are concerns about third-party applications without complainant consent.
• The use rate of domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs) is between 1% and 2%.
• The Domestic Abuse Bill addresses multifaceted control in domestic abuse.
• Some 60% of women in custody have been victims of domestic abuse.
• Section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 offers a defence for low-level criminality committed under coercion.
• The committee meeting is finishing early at 4:30 pm.
• Remaining speakers have limited time.
• Sara Kirkpatrick is the CEO of Welsh Women’s Aid.
• Simon Blackburn chairs the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities board.
• The Welsh Ask and Act legislation ensures training for statutory organisations and connections with specialist services.
• Karen Buck has met with Rebecca Harris, Liz Saville Roberts, Fay Jones, Liz Twist, Virginia Crosbie, Nickie Aiken, and Jess.
• Karen Buck has four or five people who want to speak.
• They have only 10 minutes left for the discussion.
• Fay Jones represents Brecon and Radnorshire, a constituency with a large border with England.
• Children are considered direct victims of domestic abuse even if they are not physically present during an altercation.
• The Children Act mandates that children are at the forefront of every assessment completed by social services.
• Further consideration is adjourned until Tuesday 9 June.
• The statement mentions submissions from over 30 organisations including Prison Reform Trust, Rape Crisis England & Wales, and Southall Black Sisters.
• These organisations provide detailed amendments and suggestions for improving the Domestic Abuse Bill.