"THIS IS WE" : SAFETY4SISTERS WRITING GROUP BOOK LAUNCH

International Women’s Day 2022

‘THIS IS WE’: SAFETY4SISTERS WRITING GROUP BOOK LAUNCH

Saturday 5th March 2022 1.30-4.30pm

in; the event space at Manchester Central Library, Saint Peter's Square, Manchester, England, M2 5PD

Safety4Sisters is a feminist and anti-racist women’s organisation working to uphold the human rights of migrant women subject to gender-based violence and immigration control/with no recourse to public funds. Between the end of 2020 to Autumn 2021 and under the harshest of pandemic conditions, women from the Safety4Sisters group programme alongside writer Amber Lone and Safety4Sisters Group Coordinator Sandhya Sharma came together to form the migrant women’s writing project. In a society where their experiences are bureaucratised and disbelieved by a bleak immigration system and where degrading, inhumane language pours from anti-migrant narratives, these survivors joined to engage with, re-imagine and explore writing for themselves and each other.

This Is We is a testimony to the conviction of migrant women to tell their stories in their own words. As Black and minoritised survivors their lives have been disrupted and shaped by migration, gender-based violence, racism, and the hostile environment. They speak of journeys navigating a brutal and cruel terrain but also of resilience, hope, enjoyment, sisterhood, and a deep yearning for better futures. This International Women’s Day come join the Safety4Sisters writing group in partnership with the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Centre to celebrate the launch of their collection.

Please book here; https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/this-is-we-safety4sisters-writing-group-book-launch-tickets-262027018867  

Please note that the Central Library is accessible with a ramped entrance and there are lifts to the event space.

 

Message from the Safety4Sisters Survivors Group

‘We are speaking up in the light of the horrific murders of Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman, Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa and the countless women and children murdered at the hands of violent men’

 

‘We are speaking up because we feel organisations and culture in general don’t see the violence we experience; they don’t help us women get justice and continue to blame us’

Women are unsafe. We face gender-based abuse and cultural misogyny globally, in the UK and right here in Manchester. We have spoken out over and over again about how violence against women and girls is widespread and the fear we experience daily. We have spoken out in communities, consultations, in policy work, research, in gender-based abuse strategies, conferences and meetings – we have spoken out until our voices are broken and yet now, we have to speak out yet again. Our safety, regardless of immigration status, is our basic right as women. It is our universal human right to live free from abuse, be protected when we do and have equality to get the law and justice systems. Because we all have no recourse to public funds or are fleeing persecution by seeking asylum we end up suffering more. At this moment we demand that all women’s voices are included in the conversation about how we as a society move forward. To do this our voices as migrant women must be included as well as our experiences of racism and the fact that the hostile environment purposefully wrecks our ability to keep ourselves and our children safe. We need our leaders, all politicians, local decision makers and all police forces including Greater Manchester Police listen to women and take action to properly investigate how violence against women is seen and responded to.

Survivors Group Collective

Safety4Sisters are recruiting new trustees!

Safety4Sisters are looking for dynamic and engaged women for these roles. We want you to be

engaged with the politics from which we work and committed to feminist and anti-racist

approaches.

We hope to keep our committee diverse and to represent the diversity of women’s experience.

We also aim to have a majority of black and/ or minority ethnicity women. We encourage

women with experience of migration to apply for these roles. We are only seeking woman for

this role as the Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010

applies to the role.

It is essential that those who apply have:

- Feminist and anti-racist politics

- Comfort and experience with IT including video calls, emails and Microsoft Office

- The ability to commit to at least two meetings of 2 hours per month (normally evenings) and up

to five hours of further commitment per month

At the moment we are particularly looking for women with experience in any of the following

areas to apply:

- Social Work/ Domestic Violence provision

- Trustee or director roles in organisations employing workers

- Experience with charity and/or business structures

- Knowledge and experience of HR

- Financial sectors or roles particularly within charities and accountancy

- Charity sector work, particularly in delivery, safeguarding or strategy

- IT systems, online promotion and communication

Main Duties of Trustees

Trustees must be able to attend one 2 hour board meeting per month. This usually occurs on a

weekday evening on Zoom or in Central Manchester.

We will also expect trustees to take on some work at home, particularly during busier times.

Work will include:

· Ensuring that the organisation and its representatives function within the legal and regulatory

framework of the sector and in line with the organisations’ governing document

· Taking part in determining the overall direction and development of Safety4Sisters through

good governance and clear strategic planning.

· Acting in the best interest of the organisation, beneficiaries and future beneficiaries at all times.

· Promoting and developing the organisation in order for it to grow and best serve its

beneficiaries

· Maintaining sound financial management of resources

· Interviewing, appointing and monitoring the work and activities of paid staff when relevant.

· Supporting the organisation as an employer through the creation and maintainence of

structures, policy and procedures

· Acting as a counter-signatory on cheques and any applications for funds

· Maintaining absolute confidentiality about all sensitive/confidential information

· Taking part in campaigning activity both online and in person

· Engaging, where appropriate, with our women’s group activities such as the support group or

days out

· Taking part in committee sub-groups on topics such as finance, promotion etc where you have

interest

As the trustees committee are responsible and liable for the governance and functioning of the

organisation, they are accountable in varying degrees to a variety of stakeholders, including:

service users, members, funders, and the Charities Commission. Close attention must be given

to the governing document to ascertain the type of organisational structure and the range of

interested parties.

Please note, this is an unpaid role and any expenses will be reimbursed.

How to apply

In order to apply please read the trustee recruitment pack and complete the application form and send to trustees@safety4sisters.org. Please also complete and return the equality monitoring form.

We will require applicants to attend an interview panel to determine their suitability.

If you have any further questions about this role please do not hesitate to get in touch via the

above email address.

Safety4Sisters Recommendations for GMCA to Support Migrant Survivors with NRPF

The Domestic Abuse Bill is making its way through parliament and we remain at a more pivotal time given the national outrage sparked by the murder of Sarah Everard.  At a key moment in our nations consciousness our politicians and leaders are called once again to examine our collective commitment to ending violence against women and girls.

For migrant women with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) there are additional barriers. Migrant survivors worry data will be shared with immigration enforcement and risk deportation if they report. They do not know how to access help. They face difficulties communicating without interpretation, a legal aid sector devastated by cuts, and services unable to assist as they have NRPF.  

During the pandemic, Safety4Sisters saw demand doubling with 100 percent of women referred initially refused refuge space due to the NRPF condition.

In the absence of a response, these survivors and their children are left with violent abusers while black and minority ethnic services struggle to fill gaps in accommodation, counselling, subsistence, and interpretation. 

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has the opportunity to shift these realities, with the development of Homelessness and Gender Based Abuse strategies key entry points to do so. Safety4Sisters charts ten ways the GMCA can reinforce the safety net to make sure all in Greater Manchester – including migrant survivors – are protected.

Building from our frontline expertise and evidence when working directly with migrant women with no recourse to public funds, the recommendations focus on some of the key areas and challenges that migrant women and their support agencies face when attempting to access key statutory and voluntary sector safety services.

 

For more information please contact info@safety4sisters.org and visit our website: https://www.safety4sisters.org/.

Our Response to the Greater Manchester Gender Based Abuse Strategy

Safety4Sisters welcomes the sharing of the draft Greater Manchester Gender Based Abuse (GBA) Strategy 2021-2031 and the opportunity to offer a response. Since 2009, we have worked with women subjected to the intersection of gender-based violence (GBV) and the exclusion of migrants from protection including through the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition. Based on this experience working with some of the most socially excluded and marginalised in Greater Manchester, we detail in our submission suggestions for strengthening the strategy so Greater Manchester provides a safety net for all, including migrant women.

You can read our submission here

10 Recommendations for Greater Manchester Combined Authority to Support Migrant Survivors with No Recourse to Public Funds

The Domestic Abuse Bill is making its way through parliament and this week the House of Lords have voted in favour of key amendments to protect migrant women.  Whilst these amendments are still at risk of being voted down in the House of Commons, this positive news cannot come at a more pivotal time given the national outrage sparked by the murder of Sarah Everard.  At a key moment in our nations consciousness our politicians and leaders are called once again to examine our collective commitment to ending violence against women and girls.

For migrant women with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) there are additional barriers. Migrant survivors worry data will be shared with immigration enforcement and risk deportation if they report. They do not know how to access help. They face difficulties communicating without interpretation, a legal aid sector devastated by cuts, and services unable to assist as they have NRPF.  

During the pandemic, Safety4Sisters saw demand doubling with 100 percent of women referred initially refused refuge space due to the NRPF condition.

In the absence of a response, these survivors and their children are left with violent abusers while black and minority ethnic services struggle to fill gaps in accommodation, counselling, subsistence, and interpretation. 

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has the opportunity to shift these realities, with the development of Homelessness and Gender Based Abuse strategies key entry points to do so. Safety4Sisters charts ten ways the GMCA can reinforce the safety net to make sure all in Greater Manchester – including migrant survivors – are protected.

Building from our frontline expertise and evidence when working directly with migrant women with no recourse to public funds, the recommendations focus on some of the key areas and challenges that migrant women and their support agencies face when attempting to access key statutory and voluntary sector safety services.

 

For more information please contact info@safety4sisters.org and visit our website: https://www.safety4sisters.org/.

 

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International Women's Day 2021 Women with no recourse to public funds are being locked out of domestic violence support and trapped in abuse

Women with no recourse to public funds are being locked out of domestic violence support and trapped in abuse (politicshome.com)

"I feel like we are invisible, we don’t matter,” Shani told me at a weekly zoom meeting of migrant women.

“What has happened to me is of no consequence, we have been forgotten.”

Having entered the UK on a student visa, Shani married a British man but very soon was subject to horrific sexual and domestic abuse from him and his family. Fleeing the property, she was then told by the police that she had no recourse to public funds and was unable access to safe refuge accommodation or money for food. With little English or knowledge about life in the UK, she was left destitute and street homeless.

At Safety4Sisters, a small Manchester based charity, we see many women in similar situations. Our specialist service provides critical support to access safe emergency accommodation to survivors of domestic, sexual, and other forms of gender-based violence who have no recourse to public funds. The women are from all walks of life, all survivors of horrific violence meted out by an array of abusers.  There is a way to support them through the upcoming Domestic Abuse Bill – but only if MPs and peers are willing to act.

The pandemic has further shown why this matters: intensifying the precarity of these women and exposing the fracture lines on who is deserving of safety and protection and who is not. In our latest report, we found that 100 per cent of the women we supported during the first three months of lockdown were initially refused refuge accommodation when requested due to their immigration status.

Those like Shani, not on spousal visas, are unable to avail themselves of the destitute domestic violence (DDV) concession, which would offer a financial safety net for a limited period while they gain immigration advice to regularise their status and access refuge accommodation where available. Perpetrators know this and use this as part of the coercive control, locking women into abuse and out of safety.

Heralded as a once in a lifetime piece of legislation, the transformational Domestic Abuse Bill is at serious risk of promising very little for migrant women like Shani. Migrant and Black and minority ethnic women’s campaigning groups, including Southall Black Sisters and Latin American Women’s Rights Service, know this. They urge for an extension of the existing DDV concession length and remit to ensure all migrant survivors of abuse – not just those on spousal visas – are supported, ensuring safe reporting mechanisms when reporting to the police.

But the government response continues to be it still needs to collect more evidence through the forthcoming pilot scheme. The problem is there is already plenty of proof of the scale of the issue.  Women need equal protection in the law, full stop.

Shani has already endured so much. She spent two years desperately trying to stabilise her immigration status, unable to access the vital support she needed. She now is living in precarious charity accommodation for destitute women. Her health is poor, her mental health worse, having considered suicide many times. “My husband said no one would help me if I left, and he was right. How can I take on the violence from my abusers alone? I can’t go back but I don’t count in this country. I am a no one, a second-class citizen. I feel like this will never end.” Safety4Sisters offer what small lifeline we can for women like Shani. But outside the legal protections, they are hanging on by threads. Rather than the current two-tier discriminatory system, our hope lies in amendments to the bill so we can transform women’s rights and rightfully protect all women.

Backbench business debate on the issue of NRPF - Thursday 8 October

To xxxxx  MP

Re: Backbench business debate on the issue of ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ on Thursday 8 October at 1.30pm.

We are a northern network of specialist Black and minority ethnic (BME) women’s organisations working with women and children victims-survivors of violence and abuse including those who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, David Simmons MP and Chris Stephens MP have secured a Backbench business debate on the issue of ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ on Thursday 8 October at 1.30pm and we are asking you to add your voice to this important debate.  

We believe that violence against women and girls is a human rights issues and know that nationally there has been a surge in the number of women contacting agencies for support as the pandemic takes root, especially in the BME led sector. Women and children have been trapped with abusers in conditions that exacerbate and increase sexual, domestic and honour-based violence.  Migrant women have had to endure further vulnerability as a result of the NRPF condition which excludes migrants with limited leave to enter or remain from accessing the welfare safety net, including Universal Credit and social housing. It can apply to those on many visa types, including those on routes to settlement (e.g. spousal visas), as well as those who previously had a visa or have unsuccessfully gone through the asylum system and exited. The cruel consequences of the NRPF condition have been laid bare during the pandemic, with many families losing employment and falling into destitution.

For those experiencing gender-based violence, the NRPF condition and other immigration policies leave women with an impossible choice between enduring further violence, or facing the prospect of destitution, separation from their children, detention and deportation regardless of pandemic conditions. Many of the migrant women that we work with are trapped in abuse due to the NRPF which is echoed by other reports. The routes to safety and protection that are available to other abused women at risk of harm are denied to these migrant women.

Sara, a young homeless woman, was experiencing relentless domestic violence from her partner. Fearing for her life, she fled the family home and approached Manchester homelessness service during the lockdown period. She was refused emergency accommodation because she has NRPF and ended up sleeping on the streets of Manchester frightened, destitute and in fear of being tracked down be perpetrator or attacked on the street.

As you may be aware, Covid-19 has had a devastating impact not only on victims-survivors of abuse but also the BME led women’s sector, our communities being at disproportionally higher risk of infection and more socio-economic vulnerabilities.  Our specialist organisations have seen a rapid increase in the numbers of referrals over the last six months that average a 40% increase and a 5-fold increase the number of referrals to our refuge accommodation. Despite government assurances that women do not have to suffer abuse and help is available, this is simply not the case for many migrant women, and they have been excluded from the Domestic Abuse Bill. Safety4Sisters report that 84% of their referrals who had insecure immigration status had been refused vital refuge accommodations due to having NRPF echoing Women’s Aid findings in England in 2019/20, that almost 4 in 5 migrant women were turned away from refuges due to the NRPF condition.  The Angelou Centre can report that women are being forced to return to perpetrators by statutory agencies who will not support them, with women approaching these services at least 7 times before being referred to a specialist BME service.

Upholding the principles of equality of access to protection irrespective of background is vital if we are to avoid a discriminatory two-tier system of support that leaves significant numbers of women behind. All women should have access to safety and protection when experiencing abuse particularly in pandemic conditions. The refusal to include migrant women without recourse to funds in the DA Bill is directly endangering and harming the lives of the most vulnerable and at risk women and girls in the UK. We therefore urge you to add your voice to this crucial debate and ensure that no woman has to choose between violence or destitution. 

Yours Sincerely

Safety 4 Sisters, Manchester

Humraaz, Blackburn

Apna Haq, Rotherham

Rochdale Women’s Welfare Association, Rochdale

Amadudu, Liverpool

Ubuntu Women’s Shelter, Glasgow

Angelou Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne

Saheli, Manchester

 

 

Launch of Abonsh House - dedicated refuge service for single migrant women with no recourse to public funds

Launch of Abonsh House – 3rd September 2020

Safety4Sisters North West in partnership with Salford Women’s and Irwell Valley Housing Association are delighted to announce the opening of Abonsh House a new dedicated refuge service for migrant women survivors of gender-based violence with no recourse to public funds.

Safety4Sisters have championed the needs of migrant women for the last 10 years and provide specialist advocacy and group support and now they will deliver a new dedicated refuge service for highly vulnerable women who are unable to access welfare and housing benefits. Women Against Homelessness And Abuse (2019) A Roof, Not a Home found that 4 out of 5 Black and minoritised survivors are turned away from refuges and Safety4Sisters reported a staggering 73% of the Black and minority ethnic migrant women referred to their project during lockdown were unable to access refuge space as a direct result of having no recourse to public funds forcing many to remain in abusive households, sofa surf, live in precarious or exploitative housing and even survive on the streets.

Lynne Fanthome, chairwoman of Safety4Sisters said “We are pleased to announce the launch of Abonsh House, a specialist refuge for migrant women with no recourse to public funds, based in Greater Manchester. This group of women are some of the most vulnerable in our society, subject to gender-based violence, they are often refused access to the lifesaving refuge support services and housing due to their immigration status. This refuge represents the wider human rights struggle of migrant women to achieve equality in protection, safety and justice from violence against women and girls, which Safety4Sisters has spearheaded for some ten years. In the turbulent contexts of austerity, Brexit, anti-migrant discourse, rise of far-right racism and under pandemic conditions, Safety4Sisters have redoubled our commitment and determination to uphold the rights of migrant women. We work to ensure that all women are protected from violence regardless of immigration status. We thank Salford Women’s Aid and Irwell Valley Housing Association for working in partnership with us to progress this new step for Safety4Sisters and advance our vision for women’s freedom.”

Dawn Redshaw CEO of Salford Women’s Aid said “We are so proud to be supporting this essential service. I have worked alongside Safety4Sisters for many years and I am astounded about the support they offer in the face of adversaries and more so  the resilience of the women they support who are the most vulnerable and destitute within our society today. This provision is much needed, and I hope it reminds others of the challenges women face and the need to carry on supporting each other”

Sasha Deepwell, Chief Executive of Irwell Valley Homes added: “"We believe that everyone has the right to a safe place to live. Whilst for many of us our home has been a sanctuary over the last few months, for others, it has been a very dangerous place. During lockdown there has been a significant increase in domestic violence, that's why we are so grateful to be working in partnership with Safety4Sisters and Salford Women's Aid to provide this crucial service at a time when there has never been a greater need for it.

She added: "As a housing association we have supported some of the most vulnerable people across Greater Manchester for nearly 50 years. Providing homes with specialist support for people with dementia, mental health issues, learning and physical disabilities, and those who have been made homeless or have experienced domestic violence. This latest project will provide the sanctuary, shelter, hope and support that is so badly needed to enable people to safely move on with their lives."”

Vicky Marsh, Safety4Sisters Advocacy Worker ended “Today Safety4Sisters celebrate the opening of Abonsh House, to provide a safe refuge from gender-based violence for you, our migrant sisters, who have no recourse to public funds.  Abonsh House is Safety4Sisters’s symbol of hope, solidarity and care and comes with the message that we will continue to work alongside you, to ensure your human rights to safety are upheld and to challenge when they are not.  Abonsh House is a tribute to your courage, strength, dignity, and determination to not only survive but also to support one another through dangerous and painful journeys. We hope this house will be your first brick in rebuilding a life of safety, freedom and peace and we dedicate it to Abonsh and to you all.”

ENDS

Notes to editors –

Abonsh House will be opening her doors on 7th September 2020. For information about the new service, referrals and media contact info@safety4sisters.org  www.safety4sisters.org