To xxxxx MP
Re: Backbench business debate on the issue of ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ on Thursday 8 October at 1.30pm.
We are a northern network of specialist Black and minority ethnic (BME) women’s organisations working with women and children victims-survivors of violence and abuse including those who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, David Simmons MP and Chris Stephens MP have secured a Backbench business debate on the issue of ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ on Thursday 8 October at 1.30pm and we are asking you to add your voice to this important debate.
We believe that violence against women and girls is a human rights issues and know that nationally there has been a surge in the number of women contacting agencies for support as the pandemic takes root, especially in the BME led sector. Women and children have been trapped with abusers in conditions that exacerbate and increase sexual, domestic and honour-based violence. Migrant women have had to endure further vulnerability as a result of the NRPF condition which excludes migrants with limited leave to enter or remain from accessing the welfare safety net, including Universal Credit and social housing. It can apply to those on many visa types, including those on routes to settlement (e.g. spousal visas), as well as those who previously had a visa or have unsuccessfully gone through the asylum system and exited. The cruel consequences of the NRPF condition have been laid bare during the pandemic, with many families losing employment and falling into destitution.
For those experiencing gender-based violence, the NRPF condition and other immigration policies leave women with an impossible choice between enduring further violence, or facing the prospect of destitution, separation from their children, detention and deportation regardless of pandemic conditions. Many of the migrant women that we work with are trapped in abuse due to the NRPF which is echoed by other reports. The routes to safety and protection that are available to other abused women at risk of harm are denied to these migrant women.
Sara, a young homeless woman, was experiencing relentless domestic violence from her partner. Fearing for her life, she fled the family home and approached Manchester homelessness service during the lockdown period. She was refused emergency accommodation because she has NRPF and ended up sleeping on the streets of Manchester frightened, destitute and in fear of being tracked down be perpetrator or attacked on the street.
As you may be aware, Covid-19 has had a devastating impact not only on victims-survivors of abuse but also the BME led women’s sector, our communities being at disproportionally higher risk of infection and more socio-economic vulnerabilities. Our specialist organisations have seen a rapid increase in the numbers of referrals over the last six months that average a 40% increase and a 5-fold increase the number of referrals to our refuge accommodation. Despite government assurances that women do not have to suffer abuse and help is available, this is simply not the case for many migrant women, and they have been excluded from the Domestic Abuse Bill. Safety4Sisters report that 84% of their referrals who had insecure immigration status had been refused vital refuge accommodations due to having NRPF echoing Women’s Aid findings in England in 2019/20, that almost 4 in 5 migrant women were turned away from refuges due to the NRPF condition. The Angelou Centre can report that women are being forced to return to perpetrators by statutory agencies who will not support them, with women approaching these services at least 7 times before being referred to a specialist BME service.
Upholding the principles of equality of access to protection irrespective of background is vital if we are to avoid a discriminatory two-tier system of support that leaves significant numbers of women behind. All women should have access to safety and protection when experiencing abuse particularly in pandemic conditions. The refusal to include migrant women without recourse to funds in the DA Bill is directly endangering and harming the lives of the most vulnerable and at risk women and girls in the UK. We therefore urge you to add your voice to this crucial debate and ensure that no woman has to choose between violence or destitution.
Yours Sincerely
Safety 4 Sisters, Manchester
Humraaz, Blackburn
Apna Haq, Rotherham
Rochdale Women’s Welfare Association, Rochdale
Amadudu, Liverpool
Ubuntu Women’s Shelter, Glasgow
Angelou Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne
Saheli, Manchester