Domestic Abuse Bill must protect migrant women

The Liberal Democrats are fighting today to amend the landmark Domestic Abuse Bill to ensure migrant survivors are protected. The party is backing three cross-party amendments, due to be debated in the Lords this afternoon, that would offer protection for some of the most vulnerable survivors of abuse, for whom protections under the current law are woefully inadequate. The Lords will vote on a law to block the Home Office from using data gathered when survivors of domestic abuse seek support or assistance for immigration purposes. Another amendment would give migrant survivors of abuse temporary leave to remain and access to public funds, so they are not excluded from crucial support services. A third would ensure that all survivors of domestic abuse are protected regardless of their immigration status, as required under the Istanbul Convention.   Ahead of the debate in the House of Lords, Liberal Democrat Lords Home Affairs Spokesperson Brian Paddick said:   “The long-overdue Domestic Abuse Bill will provide survivors of domestic abuse with vital new legal protections and support. “A number of improvements have been made to the bill in the Lords, but the Conservative Government is refusing to ensure that adequate protections are given to migrant survivors of abuse. “Liberal Democrats secured cross-party support for our amendments to protect migrant survivors when they were debated in the Commons, and we are determined to pass them today. “We must ensure that the Domestic Abuse Bill protects all survivors of domestic abuse, no matter where they were born.”