Halt cash cuts to protect abused woman
An MP has urged the Prime Minister to commit to long-term sustainable funding for women’s refuge centres.
Gavin Newlands, who represents Paisley and Renfrewshire North, wants Westminster to ensure that all women and children have somewhere safe to go when escaping domestic violence.
The call for change in the UK Government’s strategy came at the same time the government published its first report detailing progress towards ratifying the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, brought forward through a Private Members Bill by former MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford.
Mr Newlands said: “Today’s report on the Istanbul Convention is a culmination of years of hard work by campaigners — including the SNP’s Eilidh Whiteford, who successfully steered her Private Members’ Bill through Parliament — and which mandated the UK Government to produce an annual report detailing the progress towards ratifying it.
“However, women fleeing domestic violence don’t have the luxury of time and we cannot wait until it is ratified to protect women who experience domestic violence.
“The UK Government must reverse its current approach and cuts, and instead listen to concerns raised by organisations, and commit to long term sustainable funding for women refuge centres — ensuring that all women have somewhere safe to go when they are fleeing gender-based violence.
“The recent events following the Harvey Weinstein revelations, including in parliament itself, have highlighted the urgent need for the UK Government to ratify the Istanbul Convention — the gold standard approach for tackling violence against women and girls.”