With Labour leader Keir Starmer now calling for a temporary second lockdown to curb the rising tide of coronavirus cases in the UK, it is time for the government to act to protect those at risk of domestic violence.
During the first three months of the national lockdown that began in March, more than 40,000 calls and contacts were made to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline. Most calls were made by women seeking help.
The charity Refuge, which runs the helpline, said that calls and contacts were nearly 80% higher than usual. The charity also stated that as restrictions eased, they saw a surge in people seeking safe places to escape their abusers.
Domestic violence is an experience that can affect people of all ages, genders, cultures, sexualities and levels of income. It is not solely a “women’s issue”, although women are statistically more likely than men to experience domestic violence in their lifetimes.
“The living hell faced by those vulnerable to domestic violence under the March lockdown is set to repeat itself, unless the government acts now.”
Women are more likely to be victims of abuse classed as “sustained”, with 83% of those suffering more than 10 abusive incidents identifying as female. Women are also more likely to be killed by a partner or former partner. More than half of women in the UK killed by men in 2018 lost their lives to a current or previous partner, many after they had taken steps to leave.
In the year ending March 2019, 1.6 million women were victims of domestic abuse, including physical, verbal, emotional and financial abuse, and coercive control.
Being trapped inside your home with someone who controls your finances, what you eat and who you speak to or who verbally, physically and emotionally attacks you, was the nightmare faced by people across the UK living in unsafe situations.
With a second “circuit breaker” lockdown on the cards, the living hell faced by those vulnerable to domestic violence under the March lockdown is set to repeat itself, unless the government acts now.
During the first month after lockdown began, 16 women and girls were killed in suspected domestic homicides. This is triple the number from the same time period last year. At least 10 more women and girls lost their lives in the two months since.
This is a matter of life or death for people who live at the mercy of their abusers, and the coronavirus pandemic has revealed just how ill-equipped Britain is to protect those at risk of violence and abuse.
In contrast to Britain’s lacklustre response, Italy and Spain were among countries that decided to roll out programs to house victims of domestic violence in hotels in cases where existing shelters were at capacity.
“Relying on charities to pick up the slack where services cannot is an abject failure of government policy and of the state itself.”
New Zealand prioritised the safety of those suffering abuse during their lockdown planning, in a way that the UK utterly failed to do. Pledging more than NZ$200 million (£102M) to domestic and sexual violence services, New Zealand has tackled the epidemic of family abuse head on.
According to the government, Boris Johnson’s administration has taken steps to prioritise the safety of those in violent home environments. The Minister for Safeguarding, Victoria Atkins, said: “From our ground-breaking legislation in the Domestic Abuse Bill, to additional financial support and regular engagement with charities throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the government remains resolute in combating this vile crime”.
However, these words ring hollow when we consider the decimation of domestic violence services under a decade of Conservative rule.
Under the government’s ideological and completely avoidable austerity drive, funding has been stripped from essential services including protection against domestic violence.
Since 2010, funding cuts to local councils have amounted to 40%, and council funding for women’s refuges has been slashed by a massive £7 million. Between 2010 and 2014, 17% of specialist women’s refuges were forced to close.
Relying on charities to pick up the slack where services cannot is an abject failure of government policy and of the state itself.
Suzanne Jacob, Chief Executive of domestic violence charity SafeLives, told HuffPost: “As local lockdowns take hold and expand, we ask the government to continue to support domestic abuse victims and the invaluable services trying to help them. The emergency funding bought in during the first lockdown went some way to sustaining the vital work of these services, but with many facing so many operational challenges plus a rise in referrals in many cases, that crisis support is unlikely to be enough.
“The coronavirus pandemic has revealed just how ill-equipped Britain is to protect those at risk of violence and abuse.”
“For some families, the implications of being told to ‘stay indoors’ are frightening. The Government is quite rightly thinking of ways to support those who may have lost jobs or incomes. Let’s make sure we also think of those who are losing their safety and whose lives might be at risk. The government needs to recognise the scale of the problem and look again at emergency funding so victims and survivors can know they are not alone.”
Boris Johnson’s government must do better. Without sustained financial support for local councils’ domestic abuse services, we will see more people suffer and more women and girls lose their lives to violence.
The UK has already failed domestic abuse victims during the first lockdown, we cannot allow this to happen a second time.
Harriet Williamson is a freelance journalist.
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For help dealing with domestic abuse, contact:
Refuge – phone 0808 2000 247 or via their website
Women’s Aid – helpline@womensaid.org.uk or via their website