Lords debates women suffering abuse
7 November 2014
Members, including campaigners for vulnerable people and a former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, debated women facing homelessness, domestic violence and social exclusion on Thursday 6 November.
- Watch the debate on Parliament TV
- Read the transcript in Lords Hansard
- Lords Library note: Women facing homelessness, domestic violence and social exclusion
The suffering of women subjected to domestic abuse and its consequences was highlighted by members. They said the link between abuse and homelessness and social exclusion is strong and that women are disproportionately affected by homelessness related to domestic violence. Many told of experiences of women they had worked with: suffering extreme physical and mental abuse and, because of a lack of support when they leave violent partners, becoming homeless or returning to an abusive partners.
Some members argued that public spending cuts have a bigger impact on women. They said domestic violence charities and refuges have lost local authority funding, leaving vulnerable women seeking refuge without help at their most desperate. Other members drew attention to the response of the police in cases of domestic abuse, raising concern about their ability to recognise cases, particularly in non-physical forms.
Members raised the trauma suffered by children who witness abuse, and the consequences for them (as well as being victims of domestic abuse, they are more likely to become perpetrators of it). They said the cycle of abusive behaviour in families should continue to be addressed and some argued that sex and relationship education in schools is vital for young people and helping to break cycles of violence.
Baroness Garden of Frogal (Liberal Democrat), government whip, responded on behalf of the government. She said there are challenges the government continues to work to break down to empower women. She highlighted training on domestic violence was a mandatory element of police training, a current Home Office consultation looking into whether the law on domestic violence needs to be strengthened and schemes the government supports to help vulnerable women.
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