Refuge responds to Autumn budget announcement

Responding to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge, said:  

“Refuge is disappointed that the Autumn Budget does not include detail about how much funding has been set aside to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) specifically. We welcomed the Government’s pledge to halve VAWG within the next decade. Specialist services will be essential to delivering this mission, and urgently need investment to reverse chronic underfunding and put them on a sustainable footing.  

Last week, Refuge, along with 21 other leading VAWG organisations, called on the Government to provide an annual funding settlement of £516m or more per year for refuge and community-based services, and separate ring-fenced funding at a minimum of £178m to fund specialist ‘by and for’ organisations to support marginalised survivors who face even more extensive barriers to accessing vital support.    

We were pleased to see that funding for law enforcement will be used to support the safer streets mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. Women and girls’ confidence in the criminal justice system is at an all time low and needs to be urgently restored. We look forward to seeing more detail on what government funding to address this will include.  

We are facing an epidemic of male violence against women and girls. Around 1 in 4 women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime and 1 woman is killed by a partner or ex-partner in England and Wales every five days. If the Government is serious about tackling VAWG, we need to see long-term, dedicated funding for services to ensure women and girls can access lifesaving support when they need it.  

Specialist domestic abuse services provide lifesaving support to survivors in refuges and community-based settings, allowing them to find safety and rebuild their lives free from abuse, but decades of chronic underfunding have left many of these services at breaking point.”