Women’s Aid responds to the Budget 2024

Farah Nazeer, chief executive at Women’s Aid, comments:  

“The government has left the future of lifesaving domestic abuse services in doubt today. These critical services, which provide safety and support for thousands of women and children every year, are at crisis point. For nearly a decade, these services have faced a catalogue of challenges and they are now at severe threat across the country due to local council funding cuts.  

“Small women’s organisations and services led ‘by and for’ Black and minoritised women will be hardest hit. This will leave survivors of domestic abuse and other violent crimes facing a postcode lottery when it comes to accessing life-saving support, with women and children turned away daily at their point of greatest need.  

“Ahead of the general election this year, I am calling on all parties to make violence against women a national priority. It is imperative that £427m is made available to specialist domestic abuse services, annually. I am also going to continue calling for a separate, ring-fenced pot for ‘by and for’ services, to make sure their needs are met. Women’s Aid have shown that investment in these services not only saves lives, but also saves the public purse money – as much as £23 billion a year with the right investment. It is only by working together and ensuring that services can continue providing vital support to survivors, that we can hope to create a society where domestic abuse is no longer tolerated.”