migrants – Page 3 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Gloucester asks about support for migrants who are victims of domestic abuse

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 6th June 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish their evaluation of the Support for Migrant Victims pilot scheme.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con): Tackling domestic abuse and ensuring victims receive the support they need, is a priority for this Government. Furthermore, anyone who has suffered domestic abuse must be treated as a victim first and foremost, regardless of immigration status.

Nationality and Borders Bill: Bishop of London tables amendment in support of domestic abuse survivors

During a debate on amendments to the Nationality and Borders Bill on 8th February 2022, The Bishop of London tabled amendment 140, which would provide for safer usage of personal data to protect migrant survivors of domestic abuse:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, Amendment 140 in my name and those of the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, and the noble Lords, Lord Rosser and Lord Paddick, asks the Committee to consider again the debates that we had during the passage of the Domestic Abuse Bill. Indeed, this amendment was passed in your Lordships’ House last year, only to be rejected by the Commons.

In short, the issue is that immigration enforcement and the sharing of data too often serve as a significant barrier, preventing survivors of domestic abuse coming forward and receiving the help they need. Research from the Latin American Women’s Rights Service, to which I am grateful for its support and briefings, has repeatedly shown that in cases of domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls, victims with insecure immigration status are unlikely to approach the police because they believe that the police will prioritise their lack of legal status instead of protecting them as victims of a serious crime. As many as 50% of domestic abuse victims never report the crimes committed against them.

Bishop of Gloucester asked about protection for migrant victims of abuse

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on safeguarding vulnerable migrant women and children from abuse on 28th June 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, during the passage of the Domestic Abuse Bill, now an Act, your Lordships discussed how best to protect migrant victims of abuse. Will the Minister assure me that any reforms, such as those being discussed here today, will safeguard migrant women and children, who are often particularly vulnerable?

Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester tables amendment on support for migrant victims of domestic abuse

During a debate on Commons Reasons and Amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill on 21st April 2021, the Bishop of Gloucester tabled an amendment aimed at securing support services for migrant victims of domestic abuse:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, I will listen carefully to what the Government say in response but, as things stand, I am minded to test the opinion of the House. I draw attention to my interests as stated in the register. I thank the Minister for her work and thank the team of Ministers who have remained so committed to this Bill and have listened deeply. I am grateful for all the time that I have been given to discuss this, but I remain hugely frustrated.

I listened very carefully last week as the other place considered the amendments that we made to the Bill. The Government’s solution to this issue, as we have just heard, is the pilot support for migrant victims scheme. This is insufficient. Although the Minister has just spoken warmly of what it will provide, it is for a limited number of people only. It is estimated that the pilot project will not be able to provide the holistic wraparound support needed to aid recovery, even by those women who access it. It is likely that organisations will need to provide extra support, using donations and other funds, to cover services such as counselling and therapeutic support and medical, travel and legal costs. The pilot project will therefore remain an inadequate means to assess needs.

I remain committed, as I know others do, to ensuring that the Bill is as good as it can be for all victims of domestic abuse. Amid all the debate and discussion, I return again and again to the people—the men, women and children—behind the words and policies. No person should be subject to the horrors of domestic violence, coercion and control. The degradation of humanity in this manner is an evil, and we must do all that we can to stamp it out.

Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of London supports amendment to safeguard migrant victims of domestic violence

On 21st April 2021, during a debate on the Domestic Abuse Bill, the Bishop of London spoke in support of an amendment tabled by Baroness Meacher, seeking to ensure that the personal data of migrant victims of domestic violence be safeguarded:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, for sponsoring this amendment, my friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester and everyone who has faithfully backed the inclusion of migrant women in this Bill. As we already know, the Government voted against the amendment, which would have improved access to justice for migrant women. The Commons outcome does not secure any long-term legislative protection for migrant women. That is a shame.

Votes: Domestic Abuse Bill

On 21st April 2021, the House of Lords debated Commons Reasons and Amendments motions to the Domestic Abuse Bill. Votes were held on further amendments to these motions, in which Bishops took part:

Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendment providing temporary leave to remain for migrant victims of abuse

On 15th March 2021, during a debate on the Domestic Abuse Bill, the Bishop of Gloucester moved her amendment to the bill which would provide temporary leave to remain and access to public funds to support migrant victims of domestic abuse:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, I should like at the outset to acknowledge the assistance that I have received from Southall Black Sisters in preparing this amendment, and also thank the Minister for her time and compassion in discussing this with me. Amendment 70 is tabled in my name with the support of the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Goudie and Lady Hamwee, and I am grateful to every one of them.

I know that the protection of all victims of domestic abuse is a priority of noble Lords across the House, and I am grateful for the support shown for this amendment, which aims to provide migrant victims of abuse with temporary leave to remain and access to public funds for a period of no less than six months, so that they can access support services while they flee abuse and apply to resolve their immigration status. The mechanism for doing so is straightforward: extend the eligibility criteria of the existing domestic violence—DV—rule, which is a proven route for a limited group of survivors, including those on certain spousal and partner visas.

The Government raised concerns over the interpretation of the amendment, so we have made a couple of minor changes to proposed new subsections (1) and (2) to clarify the purpose of this amendment. There is also an updated explanatory note. I hope that what is now clear from the minor changes to the wording is that we are asking for temporary leave to remain and access to public funds while these extremely vulnerable people escape their abusers and regularise their immigration status. This is not about guaranteeing indefinite leave to remain to all migrant victims of abuse.

Votes: Domestic Abuse Bill

On 15th March 2021, the House of Lords debated the Domestic Abuse Bill in report. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

Bishop of Durham asks about access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatment for migrants

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 22nd February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government what funding has been provided to local authorities (1) to support (a) asylum seekers, (b) refugees, and (c) migrants, to register with a GP, and (2) to ensure that those people are factored into COVID-19 vaccination plans.

Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester tables amendment supporting migrant victims of domestic abuse

The Bishop of Gloucester tabled an amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill aimed at safeguarding migrant victims of domestic abuse on 8th February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, I am again glad to speak in this Committee and draw attention to my interests in the register. It is a great honour to follow the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and I thank him for his excellent speech.

Amendment 151, in my name, seeks to ensure that migrant victims of abuse have access to refuge spaces and essential support services, as with other victims of abuse. I thank all noble Lords, including the noble Lords, Lord Rosser and Lord Alton of Liverpool, and the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, who have added their names in support of this amendment.

The existing domestic violence rule, or DV rule, is a proven route for a limited group of survivors, including those on certain spousal or partner visas, ensuring that they are able to regularise their immigration status independent of their perpetrator, and can access public funds for a limited time while the application is considered. Since 2002, this has given migrant women a lifeline—an escape route out of abuse, removing the power from abusers who threaten detention, deportation, destitution and separation from children.

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