The domestic murder rate in the UK has reached a five-year high. 173 people were killed in domestic-related homicides last year alone; with the victims most commonly women, and the perpetrators overwhelmingly men – usually partners, or ex-partners.
Studies into domestic homicide and its patterns show that ‘escalation’ is a dominant feature of abusive cycles, which means that the longer an abusive relationship continues, the higher the likelihood it will grow in severity and end in the death of the victim.
Research by Safe Lives shows that black and minority-ethnic (BME) women take almost twice as long to report domestic violence and are some of the most at risk of domestic homicide. Cuts to specialist services and the government’s hostile environment policy have left migrant women more vulnerable to abuse and less likely to report violence out of fear of detention or deportation.
Since 2012, government-enforced immigration policies have encouraged authorities to vet and report migrant victims and witnesses of crime and abuse.
Since 2012, government-enforced immigration policies have encouraged authorities to vet and report migrant victims and witnesses of crime and abuse. Far from supporting women’s rights, safety and access to justice, the policy has led to the mass-discrimination and distrust of migrant victims of domestic abuse by national and local authorities across Britain.
The Guardian uncovered one specific case in which a woman being abused by her husband felt she could not speak out about the toxic situation she was in because he had sponsored her visa. The spouse visa is notoriously difficult to acquire under normal circumstances, and its flaws and limitations are epitomised in the lack of support or protection given to women who are then indebted to partners and husbands that use it as a tool in abusive relationships.
An investigation undertaken by Liberty amassed fifty pages of evidence regarding a secretive data-sharing arrangement in which victims and witnesses of crime with insecure immigration status had been repeatedly reported to the Home Office by police forces. This report highlighted various cases in which migrant women in the UK – primarily BME asylum-seekers or women who hold spouse visas– were reported to immigration enforcement after attending police stations or contacting the police to report crimes they had been the victim or witness of.
For those married to abusive British citizens, this fear is often wielded as a tool by perpetrators, in which existing distrust of the police is built upon and harnessed.
This ongoing issue, which has been present since the birth of the hostile environment, has deterred many women from disclosing abuse, with those affected clearly fearing that reporting the abuse will result in the potential loss of their status, detention, or deportation. For those married to abusive British citizens, this fear is often wielded as a tool by perpetrators, in which existing distrust of the police is built upon and harnessed. In the same way, women seeking asylum are similarly wary about jeopardising their chance of remaining in the UK, with many fearing detention if they come forward to ask for help from authorities. For this reason, these women stay silent for longer. In the context of increasing levels of domestic homicide, this silence is deafening, with each of these factors piling up to push vulnerable communities of women further away from seeking the help they need, and closer to the risk of homicide.
The hostile environment policy has infiltrated almost every part of the UK’s political, legal and social policy. The most recent Domestic Abuse Bill is no exception to this. It clearly fails to acknowledge or address the intersectionality of vulnerability that leaves migrant women at a higher risk of ongoing and long-lasting domestic violence and, as a result, domestic homicide.
Although the Domestic Abuse Bill acknowledged a need to review the police forces found to be reporting migrant women to immigration enforcement, and therein acknowledged the flaws in the current legislation, drastic action must be taken to ensure the safety of the women who are still very much at risk. Rebuilding trust and faith in the police, as well as other authorities and services – is of vital importance now. The next Domestic Abuse Bill must focus on doing this, to ensure early intervention and support in domestic abuse cycles and prevent the escalation of abusive behaviour and violence.
This can be done in numerous ways, such as by ensuring confidentiality for women who come forward to report abuse and implementing legislation that prevents the police from unduly contacting the Home Office. More funding is essential to making sure BME specialist services remain open and can continue to provide life-saving support. Spouse visa regulations should also be clearly presented to applicants and holders, so that they are aware they can legally secure their status as individuals if they are abused by their partner. Every possible action that can be taken, must be taken to prevent abusive cycles from escalating, and domestic homicide from continuing to become the norm.
Luna Williams is the political correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service, an organisation of immigration lawyers and solicitors which offers full and free legal support for asylum-seekers, victims of domestic abuse, and trafficking survivors.