Amnesty International has welcomed today’s announcement by the Home Secretary Theresa May of a new cross-government plan to combat violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights in England, but is urging that guarantees are put in place to ensure the most vulnerable Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights are protected.

Along with campaigners in the Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights’s sector, Amnesty has long been calling for a new approach to dealing with high levels of violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights and girls, including new policies that would help avoid violence occurring in the first place.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

“It’s welcome news that the government is announcing this plan, but we need to see the real detail, especially on funding and whether it’s going to have proper political support right across government.

“Will, for example, the government continue to support the vital project that protects Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights with insecure immigration status who are victims of violence?

”It’s precisely these ‘marginal’ schemes that are the litmus test of whether a government is truly committed to tackling violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights.”

The current scheme, which provides up to 40 days’ funding and access to a refuge and specialised support to some victims of violence who currently have no recourse to public funds, is currently being trialled until March, but Amnesty and Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights’s sector organisations are pressing for this to be made permanent.

Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights in the UK who are on spousal visas, international student visas and temporary work permits generally have no recourse to public funds and prior to the trial scheme none were able to access specialist services or gain entry to a refuge. The pilot scheme currently only applies to spouses but, say campaigners, has already proved successful in protecting Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights from violence and should be extended to all those affected by the   loophole and Amnesty supporters are currently lobbying their MPs for this to happen).

Amnesty has calculated that hundreds of Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights have been left destitute or trapped in a cycle of violence because of the “no recourse” rule. Find out more