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STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Posted by Charlotte on July 21, 2010
Tags: Amnesty, AmnestyUK, no recourse to public funds, vaw, Violence Against Women
Do pat yourselves on the back after reading this note from Amnesty International:
Dear Supporter,
I’m delighted to tell you that on Friday the Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced that she would extend the current No Recourse pilot project until March 2011. This enables women trapped in violent relationships by the ‘no recourse’ rule to access protection from which they would otherwise have been turned away.
Even better, she said that she would then be working on a permanent solution. The Home Secretary made this pledge despite the cuts climate, saying “some things are too important”. This is great news.
We will, of course, continue to try to work with the government to ensure that the project addresses some of the weaknesses in the current pilot, but this announcement is a major step forward that will give hundreds of women safety over the coming months, and beyond. Definitely something to celebrate.
Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign – especially those who came to the mass lobby of Parliament back in November, or wrote to their MPs on this issue.
Sincerely,
Heather Harvey
Stop Violence Against Women Campaign ManagerBackground on this campaign
Many women come to the UK, often legally, in the hope of improving their lives. They may come on temporary work permits, student visas or spousal visas. Some women come to the UK to marry. The ‘no recourse to public funds’ rule says that a woman in this position – even if she’s married to a British citizen – is not entitled to certain state benefits, including housing benefit and income support. But these are the benefits a woman must be able to claim to get a place in a refuge if she needs to escape violence. In December, the last government launched a pilot project to help these women. Active campaigning led to the pilot being extended until August 2010 and we’ve been keeping up the pressure ever since for a permanent solution. Read more
Tags for this post:Amnesty, AmnestyUK, no recourse to public funds, vaw, Violence Against Women