LIVING with violence but unable to escape – that is the reality facing hundreds of women in the UK as a result of government legislation.
The plight of women refused support and refuge accommodation because they have no right to public funds has been highlighted in a report by Amnesty International UK and the charity Southall Black Sisters.
No recourse, no safety draws on research by organisations including Bradford Women’s Aid, Ashiana Sheffield, Saheli Manchester and Leeds Women’s Aid. It reveals how some women are trapped in a cycle of abuse, unable to access basic levels of protection and support, simply because of their vulnerable immigration status.
Women with insecure status who experience abuse cannot access the benefits they need to access crucial safety and support in a refuge.
Refuges often need housing benefit to cover accommodation costs and income support to cover basic subsistence while women recover. The no recourse requirement forbids these women from getting either, leaving them with a stark choice of staying in the abuse or becoming destitute.
Those potentially affected by this rule include international students, temporary workers, visitors, trafficked women and girls, and women who have entered the UK on valid visas as either a spouse or a long-term partner.
The report highlights the case of Sabia Rani, a 19-year-old Pakistani who was murdered by her husband Shazad Khan in May 2006, following three months of beatings and abuse at his family’s home in Oakwood, Leeds. On February 5 [2008], four members of Khan’s family were found guilty of allowing the death of a vulnerable adult under the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004.
Rani spoke no English and had been kept prisoner in the house since arriving in the UK five months before her death.
The report says: “What happened to Sabia illustrates the risks facing women who are not able to escape to safety.
“During the months of violence that led to her death, had there been just one moment in which Sabia could have escaped, she would have had nowhere to go.
“While women in other situations may go to the police, or a refuge or similar organisation, because of her immigration status and the no recourse to public funds requirement she would not have been guaranteed a place of safety.”
Amnesty director, Kate Allen, said: “The government is betraying hundreds of women in the UK. It has a duty to ensure that all women under its jurisdiction have the same access to crisis or temporary accommodation and appropriate specialist services – regardless of their status.”
Southall Black Sisters co-founder, Pragna Patel said: “This is a horrific situation. It’s unacceptable that the government’s policies and measures to protect all women from violence do not reach this category of women.
“The government is more concerned about maintaining its tough stance on immigration than it is about ensuring that it meets international human rights standards which include acting with due diligence to protect all women from violence and abuse.”
As well as ensuring these women are able to access accommodation and support, Amnesty International and Southall Black Sisters are urging the government to set up an interim emergency fund available for immediate use to help women who are at present risk whilst permanent solutions are established.
Research by Southall Black Sisters indicates that more than 600 domestic violence cases a year involve women with no access to public funds.

The Big Issue in the North 24/3/08