Women’s Aid statement in response to Government announcing a new package to pursue domestic abuse perpetrators

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

“Violence against women and girls (VAWG) continues to be an epidemic in our society. Funding to address this is always welcome, and we agree that perpetrators must be held to account. However, this announcement has also led to some serious concern.

“Eliminating VAWG requires a whole-society, multi-faceted approach, which is why it is disappointing to see that funding for perpetrator services has not been accompanied by additional funding for survivor support services which are essential to the success of perpetrator programmes. What the sector desperately needs is resources for frontline survivor services, which support women and children at a time when they most need it.

“Any and all resources must also serve all communities. We know that women from Black and minoritised communities face additional challenges when it comes to safety and justice, and it is vital that services that support them receive dedicated funding to sustain them.

“Evidence and experience tell us time and again, that to end the epidemic of violence against women, the sector needs to work as a coherent unit, with all parts of it working in tandem. Our concern is that by pouring significant investment in, and development of, perpetrator programmes, without at the same time building up victim support services, risks destabilising a sector which is a complicated and delicate ecosystem. With the new VAWG strategy due to be published in September, our hope and expectation is that this decision will be mitigated by delivering funding and support for survivor services. If the Government truly wants to reach its promise of halving VAWG in the next decade, it has to do more to support frontline services and work with specialist services to really understand what survivors most need, and when.”