Protect lifesaving domestic abuse services.

Sign the petition and demand funding for vital community services.

To the Secretary of State for Justice:

Please provide funding of at least £238 million per year to domestic abuse community-based services through the Victims and Prisoners Bill¹.

A separate, national ‘by and for’ funding pot should be established alongside this to provide long overdue investment for specialist services for D/deaf and disabled, LGBTQ+, Black, minoritised, and migrant women, including those with no recourse to public funds.

Domestic abuse is the most prevalent form of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the UK².

For some survivors, fleeing to a refuge will be the only safe option. But many others seek tailored support in their own home or a safe place in their community to enable them to recover and rebuild their lives. This is where community-based services come in.

Despite the transformative role community-based services play in a survivor’s journey, and the rising demand for these types of services, many remain chronically underfunded, and survivors face a postcode lottery in accessing support. In 2022, less than 50% of survivors who wanted to access community-based services were able to³. The estimated annual funding shortfall for organisations led ‘by and for’ Black and minoritised women is between £63m and £114m⁴.

The government has an opportunity to safeguard these lifesaving services through the Victims and Prisoners Bill.

Refuge, End Violence Against Women, Women’s Aid Federation England, SafeLives, Solace Women’s Aid, Southall Black Sisters, Independent Domestic Abuse Services, IRISi, Imkaan, Agenda Alliance, Latin American Womens Rights Service.

^{1 Women’s Aid Federation England (2023) Investing to Save: the economic case for funding specialist domestic abuse support, Bristol}

^{2 Home Office (2022), ‘Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan.’}

^{3 Domestic Abuse Commissioner (2023) A patchwork of provision}

^{4 Imkaan (2020) Unpublished}

Add my name:

First name

Last name

Email address

Want to keep supporting women and children escaping domestic abuse? Sign up for emails from Refuge and you’ll find out how you can help save the lives of women through campaigning, donating, fundraising and volunteering.

The work we do saves women’s lives – stay part of it. Click ‘Yes’ to get emails from Refuge about how you can support women and children experiencing domestic abuse, through campaigning, donating, fundraising and volunteering.

I am happy to receive emails from Refuge

Yes

Are you sure? If you click ‘Yes’, we’ll let you know when there are ways you can help women and children through campaigning, fundraising and donating. You can unsubscribe any time.

Are you sure? If you choose ‘No’, we won’t be able to send you updates and let you know when you can do something to help women and children. Click ‘Yes’ and you can unsubscribe any time.

You can withdraw your consent or change your preferences at any time by sending an email to [email protected]. We take your privacy seriously and will never sell or swap your details with third parties. You can find out how we protect and use your personal data in our privacy policy.