Home Affairs Committee investigates domestic abuse during Covid-19 pandemic
New data show steep rise in cases
On 3 February 2021 the Home Affairs Committee held an evidence session to examine the prevalence of domestic abuse during the covid-19 pandemic and the adequacy of the Government's response.
Appearing before the Committee were designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicola Jacobs, and representatives of Women's Aid and the Angelou Centre. The Committee also took evidence on institutional accommodation with witnesses Asylum Matters, the Helen Bamber Foundation and Medical Justice.
Ahead of the session, the designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner supplied the Committee with data from domestic abuse victims and survivors helplines up to December 2020:
- For the period 1 April to 31 December 2020, calls and contacts?logged on the National Domestic Abuse Helpline database increased by 34 per cent on the same period the previous year (114,986 in 2020 compared with 85,771 in 2019). NDAH advisers made 3,785 referrals to emergency refuge accommodation in this period.
- For the same period the national LGBT+ helpline run by Galop received 5011 calls. This represented a 36 per cent increase on the 3,679 calls in the same period the previous year. Calls from 16-24 year olds increased by over 50 per cent on levels the previous year.
- The Karma Nirvana helpline for victims and survivors of so-called 'honour-based' abuse saw its most significant monthly increase (79 per cent) during the first lockdown.
- The Respect helpline for male victims of domestic abuse saw calls increase by 39 per cent over the nine-month period.
- The Respect helpline for domestic abuse perpetrators looking for help to stop saw calls increase by 62 per cent over the nine-month period.
Correspondence from the designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner is published on the Home Affairs Committee website here.
The Committee explored the scale and nature of domestic abuse during the pandemic as well as the adequacy of the response from Government and police. It investigated the further challenges faced by support services in providing financial and other support to victims during lockdown.
The session also looked at current conditions in Home Office institutional accommodation including both Immigration Removal Centres and asylum accommodation.
To watch the session, click here.
5/2/21