Response to Home Affairs Committee on domestic abuse

RESPONSE to the Home Affairs Committee Report on DOMESTIC ABUSE Press release Black Women’s Rape Action Project & Women Against Rape  We welcome the Committee’s recognition of many of the issues raised in the evidence we and other women’s groups submitted. But they should have gone much further, especially in the following areas: 1.      Welfare …

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Statement: Government’s planned review of compensation rules

Our comment on Government’s planned review of CICA rules   MINISTRY OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES REVIEW OF COMPENSATION RULES ON SEXUAL OFFENCES – a VICTORY for grassroots campaigners! “Nobody should be made to feel worthless as you do when you get a compensation refusal letter.” The announcement 9-10 September from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) that …

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Event: Do No Harm, seminar 11 Sept

For a video of the event, photos and written speeches see: supportnotseparation.blog Join us tomorrow for this important seminar 6-8pm at the House of Commoms committee room 14 which will gather evidence of the harm caused by separating mothers from their children and forced adoption. WAR is on the speakers panel.

In the media: ‘Kicked while I’m already down’, the child sexual assault victim denied compensation over a petty crime

Kim Mitchell went to police threee times before they believed her Ms K was raped repeatedly by two adult men when she was 13. As an adult she finally found the courage to report it, identifying the men. The investigation is ongoing. One of the men is in prison for sexual offences against other children. …

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Evidence to Home Affairs Committee on Domestic Violence, 5 July 2018

Evidence to Home Affairs Committee on Domestic Violence, 5 July 2018 Summary: This evidence covers five key policy areas that result in increased vulnerability to domestic violence and lack of resources to escape violent men: Family courts and domestic violence Austerity cuts and domestic violence Destitution – a recipe for domestic violence The hostile environment …

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Press release: Same Roof Rule is finally defeated, overturning decades of injustice

Same Roof Rule is finally defeated, overturning decades of injustice Victims of sexual violence win Appeal Court victory A landmark Appeal Court ruling on 24 July 2018 has reversed decades of injustice, upholding for the first time a claimant’s right to compensation even though she lived under the same roof as her attacker at the …

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Report: Family courts failing on human rights for victims of domestic abuse, says Queen Mary report

Family Courts are failing to recognise and protect survivors’ human rights by not giving victims of domestic abuse a safe and fair hearing which is putting their children’s safety at risk, according to a joint report by Women’s Aid and Queen Mary University of London. 30 May 2018 Survivors of domestic abuse face a lack …

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In the media: compensation demand by Shirley Oaks childrens’ home survivors

SOSA demand proportionate payment for those abused at Shirley Oaks home

BY TOBY PORTER, toby@slpmedia.co.uk

Historic child abuse victims are contemplating employing a top human rights lawyer after it emerged some of them will get the same compensation as people who were in care homes the same length of time but did not suffer abuse.

More than 400 victims of an organised paedophile ring within Lambeth’s children’s homes, going back as far as the 1950s, have now applied for payments under the town hall’s redress scheme.

But it has emerged in recent weeks that everyone who was placed in the homes for six months or more will get £10,000, whether or not they were victims of the ring.

Those who were just placed there for the same six-month period, but were not racially or sexually abused, will get the same £10,000 compensation.

Some people, who had previously been assessed as being entitled to, for example, £6,000 or £8,000 compensation for sexual or racial abuse they suffered, are not getting that extra compensation if they have already had their £10,000 payment for being in “harm’s way” – which anyone who was in the homes for more than six months is entitled to.

Some people assessed as entitled to £20,000, because of the abuse they suffered, are now getting another £10,000 on top of their £10,000 “Harm’s Way Payment” (HWP). But they are unhappy that they will not receive the £20,000 on top of the HWP.

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Brigitte’s daughters arrived safely

Terrific news – Brigitte Nongo-Wa-Kitwa’s daughters landed last Friday (11 May) at Heathrow after an exhausting 10 hour journey from Kinshasa. Brigitte and Cristel from Black Women’s Rape Action Project, who has worked with Brigitte at every stage of her case, waited anxiously as the daughters were held for an extra hour after other passengers …

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