Victims of domestic abuse should not have to choose between their safety and wages
3 min read
Domestic abuse is a national emergency that affects 2.1 million people in England and Wales every single year.
This means that in almost every workplace across the country, we all have colleagues struggling in silence, navigating fear, coercion and economic control – all while trying to hold down their job.
As a new MP I’ve heard heartbreaking stories at my advice surgeries. One constituent told me how she’d fled domestic violence with her young children and ended up in a refuge miles away from her friends and family. On top of trying to navigate court hearings, emergency housing and getting her kids to school, she was fast running out of money – forced to take emergency unpaid leave and worrying if she was going to be able to hold onto her job.
She didn’t need that additional stress at the worst time of her life. She needed space to breathe. Victims of abuse should never have to choose between their safety and their wages, and I’m determined to make sure that they don’t have to.
Victims are currently being failed by a system that does not recognise the economic impact of domestic abuse
That’s why I’m proud to co-sponsor Alex McIntyre MP’s Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill, which would introduce 10 days of paid leave for victims experiencing domestic abuse.
Too many victims are currently being failed by a system that does not recognise the economic impact of domestic abuse. Safe leave would transform the experience of those taking the – often life-threatening – step to leave an abusive partner.
Research by Women’s Aid shows that it can cost a survivor almost £50,000 to leave an abuser based on the direct cost of fleeing and building a new life. I have heard harrowing stories of survivors risking their safety to keep their jobs or facing financial ruin if they leave an abusive relationship. Many are financially dependent on their abuser – one of the reasons people remain trapped.
Introducing this long-overdue protection would give victims and survivors space to seek help, escape their abuser, and start the long process of rebuilding their lives – without worrying about losing their job.
A study by KPMG revealed domestic abuse costs employers £316m a year in work-related absences. Yet, worryingly, many employers have no clear policies to support staff.
Economic security is key to helping survivors escape and stay safe. New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Ireland already offer safe leave. It’s time the UK does the same.
From fair pay at work to banning exploitative zero-hour contracts, I’m proud of this Labour government’s commitment to workers’ rights and its bold plans to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. Safe leave must be part of this.
The bill is now headed for its Second Reading on 20 June, where we’ll have the opportunity to talk about the huge impact that 10 days of paid leave could have for victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
This International Women’s Day, it is incumbent on all of us not just to reflect on the progress that has been made on women’s safety and opportunities (many of which started with the matchgirls and Suffragettes whose history runs through my constituency), but also continue to push for urgent action to end the national emergency of male violence against women and girls.
At least one woman is killed by her current or former partner every week – though experts fear the number of domestic abuse-related homicides may be far, far higher. Safe leave is a simple yet vital step towards a more just, compassionate, and equal society – now we must ensure it becomes law.
Uma Kumaran, Labour MP for Stratford and Bow
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