Charity claims cuts hit women hardest of all
Committee to hear of negative effects welfare reform brings
BENEFIT cuts and welfare reform is hitting women suffering domestic violence and disabled women harder than most, MSPs will be told.
Women’s campaign groups, disability charities and anti-poverty campaigners are warning that women’s lives are being made unbearable from the UK Government agenda.
One charity said disabled women are resorting to prostitution, others warn women are being further trapped by payment changes and housing benefit cuts – leaving women in refuges for longer than necessary.
The Scottish Parliament Welfare Reform Committee is hearing this week from a range or organisations on how benefit changes are having a disproportionate impact on women.
Research reveals, since 2010, that £26billion worth of cuts have been made to benefits, tax credits, pay and pensions and £22bn of this has been taken from women’s incomes.
Scottish Women’s Aid said changes to Universal Credit will further erode women’s financial independence.
In a written submission to the committee, Jo Ozga, policy worker, said: “A single monthly payment to one claimant in the household will further increase the opportunity to create financial dependency.”
Ms Ozga said: “The devolution of some powers over welfare, par- ticularly in relation to Universal Credit, offers the Scottish Parliament the potential to better support women experiencing domestic abuse by varying the single householder and monthly payment arrangements, which undermine women’s safety.”
Scottish Women’s Aid said the Bedroom Tax, although mitigated, is still affecting women looking to escape violence.
It said a shortage of one-bedroom homes means women are having to accept two-bedroom properties and are liable for the bedroom tax shortfall and not all councils pay Discretionary Housing Payments for women leaving a refuge.
Disability charity, Inclusion Scotland, said some women were forced into drastic measures to cope with benefit cuts.