Protecting women

SIR – The Government consultation on a new Domestic Abuse Bill in England and Wales offers a significant opportunity to improve our response to domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women, by identifying and helping more survivors, and ensuring that perpetrators are dealt with effectively.

We need to bring domestic abuse out from behind closed doors and make it everybody’s business, from the police to health professionals, social care workers and communities. To do this, the Bill and supporting work must go wider than criminal justice measures and truly reflect the needs of all women, including migrant women and women with complex needs. The links between different forms of men’s violence against women and girls and other inequalities must be recognised if all survivors are to be supported.

We hope the new legislation will mean that more survivors of domestic abuse feel able to come forward. It is now more important than ever to have guaranteed funding and resources for specialist domestic abuse services, including a sustainable model of funding for women’s domestic abuse refuges and services for minority and other marginalised women.

We are committed to working with the Government to make this Bill as effective as possible for the hundreds of thousands of women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Katie Ghose

Chief Executive, Women’s Aid

Sharminder Ubhi

Director, Ashiana Network

Donna Covey

Chief Executive, AVA Project and eight others; see telegraph.co.uk