Austerity has hit the UK's ability to tackle violence against women, European watchdog warns

Independent

5 hours ago

The UK does not have enough shelters for women fleeing domestic violence and austerity has left police and the justice system struggling to tackle violence against women and girls, a European watchdog has warned.
Experts from the Council of Europe found that years of cost-cutting measures have had 'significant ramifications' on the country's ability to meet its obligations under the Istanbul Convention, which requires member nations to combat violence against women and domestic abuse.
A 130-page report published on Wednesday found that although Britain has pursued a 'solid policy agenda', austerity has weakened crucial services and women's rights organisations, leaving them 'underfunded and understaffed'.
The council's first evaluation by its Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) found a shortfall in shelter places for women fleeing abuse, with data suggesting there are only 5,238 family places in the UK.
The convention says countries should aim for one family place per 10,000 of population. Based on a population of 68 million, this would require at least 6,800 family places.
'GREVIO notes with grave concern reports of women and children being turned away from shelters in all four nations as a result of capacity being outstripped by demand,' the evaluation said, citing reports in The Independent last year which revealed six in ten women who sought a refuge space in England were denied a place.
Of 27,754 women who were referred to a refuge between April 2022 and March 2023, only 10,824 were accepted. Some 16,930 women were left with nowhere to go - the equivalent of one woman being turned away every two hours.
The Independent's Brick by Brick campaign with Refuge last year raised almost £600,000 to build two new safe havens for women fleeing abuse.
GREVIO said there was an 'urgent need to increase shelter distribution' in all four nations of the UK and ensure that safety standards are complied with.
The experts warned a lack of funding was a 'major issue' across the board and called for investment to be an 'absolute priority', adding: 'Whether it was police, social services, health or the justice system, the impact of years of austerity and reduction in funding for statutory agencies has significant ramifications for the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Istanbul Convention.
'The understaffing of crucial health and law-enforcement services leads to long waiting times for victims of violence for obtaining psychological counselling and healthcare, and to long processing times for police reports and investigations, in addition to long delays in the processing of cases before the criminal and civil courts.'
Rape victims wait more than two years on average for the case to reach trial and sexual offence case backlogs are at a record high of 11,918, according to teh charity Rape Crisis.
GREVIO's evaluation also said there was a clear link between the insufficient training of law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judges and 'critically low' charging rates for violence against women.
Figures show only 6 per cent of police investigations into adult rape resulted in a charge between October and December 2023, the report noted. For stalking offences, only 6.6 per cent of reports resulted in the CPS charging a suspect, and only 1.4 per cent resulted in a conviction.
The experts called for more law enforcement and legal professionals who are specialised in supporting female victims of violence and for action to reduce waiting times.
The report also raised concerns about access to services for migrant women and girls, as well as women with disabilities, those belonging to ethnic minorities and the elderly.
They also raised 'serious concerns' about the safety of the accommodation offered to women during asylum proceedings, following 'alarming' reports of rape, sexual harassment and assault.
In a written response to GREVIO's report, the UK government said it recognised that the scale of violence against women and girls (VAWG) is 'intolerable'.
It will take a 'transformative' approach across government, public services, the private sector, and charities to meet Labour's manifesto pledge to halve VAWG in the next ten years, the Home Office statement added.
'Later this year, the UK government will publish a new violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy which will set out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the government's ambition to halve levels of VAWG in a decade,' the response said.
'This will be underpinned by an evidence-based theory of change to ensure that our approach is informed by the best available evidence.'
Although the UK has left the European Union, it remains part of the 46-nation Council of Europe, which is focused on promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law across the continent.