The Government must make tackling domestic violence and abuse a central pillar of the broader strategy to combat the Covid-19 epidemic, a report by the Home Affairs Committee has found.
Calls and contacts to the national domestic abuse helpline run by the charity Refuge were 49% higher in the week prior to 15 April than the average prior to the pandemic.
MP’s are calling for a comprehensive cross-governmental Covid-19 strategy on domestic abuse, both for lockdown and the period afterwards when needs may be high.
The strategy should combine awareness, prevention, victim support, housing and a criminal justice response, backed by dedicated funding and ministerial leadership.
The Committee also calls for new schemes to ensure that victims can access urgent help during lockdown when they may be unable to use the phone at home or talk to friends, including by expanding the Safe Spaces model piloted in pharmacies to include supermarkets and other retailers.
Domestic abuse can have devastating, long-term impacts on the lives of victims and children who experience abuse in the home. The Committee warns that without urgent action to prevent and address the increase in domestic abuse incidents during the Covid-19 lockdown period, we will be dealing with serious consequences for a generation.
Launching the report, the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee Yvette Cooper said:
“Staying at home is an important part of the strategy to prevent coronavirus from spreading and save lives, but for some people home isn’t safe. Urgent action is needed to protect victims and prevent perpetrators from exploiting the lockdown to increase abuse.
“There are already alarming signs of the rise in domestic abuse. Our cross-party Committee is calling for an urgent action plan from Government setting out practical measures to tackle domestic abuse as an integrated part of the fight against Covid-19.
“We are calling for new emergency funding for support services, new ways for victims to access help through supermarkets and pharmacies, outreach visits to known vulnerable households, support for children and a new guarantee of safe housing for anyone needing to leave their home during lockdown because of abuse. The national public information campaign is welcome, but the Government now needs to go much further and set out a full cross-Government Covid-19 action plan on domestic abuse.
“Things are particularly hard for vulnerable children. We can’t abandon them in the middle of this crisis. Local authorities, schools, the police and other professionals involved in child welfare need to ensure they are working together to contact and visit homes where children are at risk.
“This isn’t just about supporting victims in periods of lockdown. When restrictions are eased and victims try to leave or to return to normal life the threat to them could be even greater and the need for support will be acute.
“The emotional, physical and social scars from domestic abuse can last a lifetime. If we don’t act to tackle it now, we will feel the consequences of rising abuse during the Coronavirus crisis for many years to come”.
