“Saving these services will save lives”

To celebrate International Women’s Day David Cameron is today hosting a reception at number ten to show his commitment to eliminate violence against women and girls. Ironically, it has recently been revealed that organisations working towards this goal have seen a third of their budgets slashed. This in resulting in vulnerable women being turned away from the support services and refuges they need.

Unlike other vital local services that have seen funding withdrawn, like libraries, domestic violence services are often invisible to the public and many service users, for their own safety, have to remain silent. That is why it is so important for Labour members, both men and women, to be vocal against such closures, even if we have been fortunate enough not use them ourselves.

A third of women will experience domestic violence in their life time and two women a week are killed by their partner or former partner. Local domestic violence services also help men, victims of honour based violence, girls who have been raped by gangs and the children who witness or are subjected to violence in their homes. Local councils around the country are making cowardly cuts to these services as they think no one will notice or make a fuss. However in Croydon we have noticed and are making a fuss.

Today at 5pm the Croydon Labour Women’s Forum are hosting a protest outside the multi agency ‘Family Justice Centre’ set up by the then Labour council in 2005, as it has just received its second £96,000 cut in two years from the now Tory council. This is despite Croydon having the highest rate of recorded domestic violence incidents in London. The impact has already been devastating; there are now no paid counsellors, no housing officer, the Victim Support service has gone and dedicated police officers are being forced to leave.

The second £96,000 cut will mean already over stretched staff team loosing another two colleagues. Despite diminishing resources, over one thousand people a month are helped by the centre, but there are now 117 women and 64 children on the waiting list due to the cuts. The year before Labour opened the centre, four women were killed by domestic violence in Croydon, including a 15 year old girl. Since the centre has opened there have been no such deaths and we must fight to keep it that way before it is too late.

The Family Justice Centre was the result of Labour’s vision of agencies all under one roof, working in a co-ordinated fashion and enabling women to report crimes in a supportive child-friendly environment. This innovative model has been replicated across Europe as best practice, but as the services are now one by one removed from the centre; a co-ordinated response becomes more difficult.

Harriet Harman, launching the campaign last week was ‘heartbroken’ to hear about the cuts. She said “I have supported and admired the Centre from the outset and was very impressed with what I saw when I visited in 2006. It has undoubtedly helped protect many women and children over the years and has been a model for similar projects in other areas. The last thing that vulnerable women and children need is for this vital work to be jeopardised in any way, which is why we are opposed to the cuts being made by Croydon’s Tory council.”

We have been handing out leaflets and campaign postcards at local train stations, engaging community groups, raising awareness through social networks and have set up an online petition. At 5pm today we will hold candles outside the centre to signify each of the women on the waiting list whose lives are in danger. To support this campaign and sign our online petition please visit: http://www.croydonlabour.org.uk/women.

We mustn’t let the Tories talk about eliminating violence over tea at number ten while at the same time throughout the UK women, men and children are being turned away from vital support services and safe refuge. This International Women’s Day take a moment to find out what is happening to domestic violence services in your own area and if necessary, organise your own community campaign to protect them. Saving these services will save lives.