Thread by @Womans_Place_UK

17 actions that need to be taken to tackle the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence as part of #COVID19 crisis and beyond womansplaceuk.org/2020/04/11/cor… #YouAreNotAlone

1. Increased, additional, centrally administered funding for core services which must be maintained in the long term including include planning for the increase in demand for services when restrictions are lifted... 1/2 #YouAreNotAlone

1 (contd). Such funding should be targeted at under-funded and specialist services which may not have benefited from generalised funding such as those meeting the needs of BME women, women with alcohol/drug problems or providing single-sex provision. 2/2 #YouAreNotAlone

2. An immediate commitment to repurpose the last Tampon Tax Fund to fund specialist women’s charities in the form of unrestricted grants. This fund was not previously ring-fenced and specialist women’s charities lost out. #YouAreNotAlone See @whywomen for more details

3. Additional provision of safe, properly resourced and staffed accommodation including specialist single-sex provision for homeless women. #YouAreNotAlone

4. A guarantee that all restraining orders will automatically be extended until after social distancing measures are removed. #YouAreNotAlone

5. Quicker Disclosure and Barring Service checks (DBS) to enable more efficient appointment of staff to specialist services. #YouAreNotAlone

6. More central funding for specialist services to provide additional IT infrastructure, including the capacity to ensure that confidentiality/security issues can be enhanced, especially during this lockdown when women cannot meet in person. #YouAreNotAlone

7. Additional funds to support women in refuges isolating and/or with the virus. #YouAreNotAlone

8. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for those delivering face to face services. #YouAreNotAlone

9. An amnesty on sanctions for those with insecure or no immigration status including suspension of ‘no recourse to public funds policies’ with a commitment to an end to such policies in the long term. #YouAreNotAlone

10. Support for women in prostitution with a focus on facilitating an exit from the trade. This should include specific measures for those with insecure immigration status, drug problems and any other additional needs. #YouAreNotAlone

11. Specific support to women accessing drug and alcohol services, many of whom end up ‘sofa-surfing’ where they are vulnerable to sexual abuse. #YouAreNotAlone

12. End the presumption of parental involvement in s.1(2A) of the Children Act 1989. Centre the rights of women and children to live free from the risk of harm in Family Court decisions regarding contact with an abusive parent. #YouAreNotAlone

13. Better protections around child maintenance payments to ensure they reach the primary caregiver and are not withheld as a form of financial abuse. #YouAreNotAlone

14. Better access to emergency and regular forms of contraception and other sexual & reproductive health services. #YouAreNotAlone

15. The provision of mobile phones (that are unknown to the abuser) and panic/alarm systems. #YouAreNotAlone

IT companies to be responsive to women’s requests to identify on-line tracking, spying and stalking systems and remove them or find ways round them. #YouAreNotAlone

17. Police and other agencies to look at their data on known abusers and take proactive steps to protect women and children from domestic violence, child sexual abuse and sexual violence... 1/3#YouAreNotAlone

17 (contd). Ensure that multi-agency support to women identified as being at high risk of serious and repeated violence from known perpetrators, continues to be coordinated via Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs)... 2/3 #YouAreNotAlone

17 (contd). ...that high risk perpetrators are proactively monitored, and that the Domestic Violence Disclosure scheme continues to operate. 3/3 #YouAreNotAlone

This is the level of response that is required by government, local authorities, other organisations, corporations and businesses to tackle the horrific levels of sexual and domestic violence in our society. We need real commitment and real funding. #YouAreNotAlone

.@EVAWuk is calling for: abuse experts to feed into COBRA; emergency funding for charities which protect/support victims; public awareness campaigns; abolition of the “no recourse” rules which stop migrant women accessing refuges. endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/covid-19-new-e…

The @WomensBudgetGrp is campaigning for action to address the particular impact on women of Covid-19. Sign up for their newsletter here wbg.org.uk/topics/covid-1…

.@SBSisters are calling on hotels to offer offer rooms to women and children trapped in homes with domestic abusers as well as full protection and support for migrant women.southallblacksisters.org.uk/press-releases…