Local authorities are ignoring Ministers’ warnings that violence against women services should not be a soft target for funding cuts and are risking women’s safety and support, according to the TUC, End Violence Against Women Coalition and Women’s Resource Centre.
Research published by the False Economy campaign shows that numerous support services for women are having their funding cut or withdrawn in the current financial year according to data gathered from 265 Local Authorities in England.
These services are essential for women to access safety, justice and to rebuild their lives. They include domestic violence projects, specialist support for ethnic minority women fleeing violence and counselling services for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Holly Dustin, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said:
“Violence against women support services are not a luxury that can only be afforded in good economic times, they are core services that all women should have access to no matter where they live. We are calling for local authorities to ring fence funding for specialist services as part of local violence against women strategies, as some are already doing. We also think it's critical that all local areas have specialist Commissioners who have expertise on these issues, and for there to be a national oversight mechanism to end patchy provision.”
