Female BAME domestic violence victims ‘being failed’ in Manchester

Report from Sisters For Change and The Manchester Maya Project analyses local authority responses

Sisters For Change (SFC) and The Manchester Maya Project warn of institutional racism and sexism in a new report that analyses local authority responses and approaches to domestic abuse within the Greater Manchester area.

Public authorities in Manchester are failing to uphold the human rights of ethnic minority women and children who have been victims of domestic abuse, according to a report.

The report from Sisters For Change, in partnership with The Manchester Maya Project, warns of institutional racism and sexism at the local level in Greater Manchester. It also highlights that women and children from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME) are not being adequately protected or getting the specialist help they need after suffering domestic abuse.

The report recommends:

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) should consider the findings and recommendations of the report to support the development of an inclusive VAWG Strategy that provides protection and support to all victims of domestic abuse across Greater Manchester, including BME and migrant women.
GMCA should ensure that specialist BME VAW service providers are given a real opportunity to contribute to the development of a more inclusive Greater Manchester VAWG Strategy through its recently established BME network.
GMCA should provide guidance and support to all Greater Manchester local authorities to develop domestic abuse strategies based on the assessed needs and priorities of their respective local areas. Data on the nature and prevalence of domestic abuse should be collected in each local authority area to ensure that strategies are in line with local demand and are responsive to the needs of all communities.
As part of its VAWG Strategy, GMCA should, in consultation with the ten local authorities of Greater Manchester, develop a cross-border protocol establishing a system of local authority co-operation which defines responsibilities for the provision of housing and care and support services when victims of domestic abuse are transferred across local authority areas. The protocol should include a process for resolving disputes regarding responsibility for providing support in individual cases.
Manchester City Council should consider the findings and recommendations of this report to support the development of a more inclusive approach to the commissioning of domestic abuse services, which recognises the important contribution that specialist BME VAW support services make in supporting BME victims of violence across Greater Manchester.
Manchester City Council's No Recourse to Public Funds Service set up to respond to individuals and families who do not have access to welfare benefits or housing assistance – because they have insecure immigration status or are subject to immigration control – but are in need of care and support should be recognised as a model of good practice and adopted by other local authorities across England.
The Government should re-think its current VAWG funding and commissioning model. Localism has led to an inconsistent approach to VAW services and a failure to ensure diversity and specialist service provision. The Home Office should adopt a policy of ring-fencing a proportion of central VAW funding for specialist BME VAW service providers.
Housing authorities across Greater Manchester should review their homelessness policies and assessment procedures to ensure that accommodation secured for BME women and children made homeless due to domestic abuse is suitable to their needs and that those assessing suitability take account of social considerations that might affect the suitability of accommodation, including any risk of violence, racial or religious harassment or hate crime in a particular locality, as required by the Housing Act 1996.

For the report, click here. For coverage in The Guardian, click here.

28/6/19

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