Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing to express our deep concern over the continued funding gap for lifesaving domestic abuse services, evidenced in the recent ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse’ Strategy, and the serious implications this has for survivors fleeing abuse.
To mark International Women’s Day, Refuge’s new ‘Home is Where the Hurt is’ campaign is shining a light on the dangers many women face behind closed doors, showing that home is not always a safe place. In the year ending March 2025, 75 women were killed as a result of domestic homicide, and all but four were killed by a male suspect.
Women need a safe place to turn when home does not offer a sanctuary. Many of the specialist refuge services supporting women escaping abuse are operating on a knife-edge due to chronic underfunding. This means they cannot always meet demand, leaving some women with no option but to remain with their perpetrator – sometimes with fatal consequences.
This year's International Women’s Day was themed ‘Give To Gain.’ We are calling on the Government to give domestic abuse services the investment they urgently need so that women can gain the freedom they deserve.
If your Government is serious about meeting its target to halve violence against women and girls by 2034, you must urgently address the annual £55.5 million funding shortfall for safe accommodation and refuge services. While £222 million per year is needed, the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation funding currently only commits £166.5 million. While this is an increase on previous levels, much more funding is required. The Government has an opportunity to create a long-lasting legacy with its Strategy to tackle violence against women and girls by ensuring that every survivor seeking to leave an abusive situation has somewhere safe to go.
Our message is clear – we are not going to let this abuse continue. Women’s lives will remain at risk unless there are enough refuge spaces for everyone who needs one.
