Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said: “Time and again, I hear from survivors who want to remain in their social home but are forced to endure further abuse, financial difficulty or homelessness because they are trapped in a shared tenancy with their abuser. The proposed Bill on social housing has the ability to ensure perpetrators can no longer weaponise properties against their victim. The government must move quickly to bring in this legislation, so survivors and their children can get the safety and stability they need to recover and rebuild.
“The police and healthcare are two of the first-places victims seek help. It’s critical the forthcoming Bills to reform policing and modernise the NHS put survivors of domestic abuse at their heart – we cannot halve violence against women and girls if the police are not adequately set up to respond to domestic abuse and the NHS is not better equipped to support the needs of survivors.
“Tackling domestic abuse and delivering for survivors is something this government promised to do. I look forward to working with ministers to ensure addressing this national emergency remains the highest priority.”