Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Linda Riordan (Labour and Co-operative Party), on Monday, 14 January 2008, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 113 members in total.

---

BLACK, MINORITY ETHNIC AND REFUGEE WOMEN AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

That this House notes that the Government has brought forward new legislation on domestic violence; draws attention to the acute under-funding of black, minority ethnic and refugee (BMER) women's services; further notes that research conducted by BMER women's organisations such as IMKAAN reveals that many BMER services are facing closure, takeover by mainstream organisations and reductions in funding, thereby dangerously reducing BMER women's access to places of safety; considers that women suffering from abuse and violence, who do not have settled immigration status in the UK, are prevented from seeking protection due to the no recourse to public funds requirement; believes that securing alternative safe housing, benefits and specialist services are often prerequisites to leaving an abusive relationship; calls upon the Government to acknowledge the value of small-sized grassroots specialist BMER women's projects and sustain investment in them; urges the Government to meet the demands made by IMKAAN and its network of over 40 BMER refuges across the UK, Saheli Ltd., Southall Black Sisters, Newham Asian Women's Project, Asian Women's Resource Centre and African Women's Care to abolish the no recourse to public funds requirement for all women with insecure status who are subject to violence and abuse in the contexts of marriage, domestic work and trafficking; and further calls upon the Government to set up a national cross-governmental violence against women strategy and, within that, a strategy around the needs of BMER women and children.

---

Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

693 

Session

2007-08

Other sponsors

Chris McCafferty

John McDonnell

Lynne Jones

Julie Morgan

Baroness Burt of Solihull

Dawn Butler

Subjects

Crime Crimes of violence Ethnic groups

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk