Government migration reforms risk increasing vulnerability of women

Last week, the government announced proposed changes to its asylum and wider migration policy that will have far-reaching effects for people living in the UK. While the full details are yet to be published, we are deeply concerned about the potential impact on migrant women, particularly those at risk of or experiencing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Precarity is already a reality for many women and children we support, and our concern is that these changes are likely to disproportionately increase the risk to them.  These reforms would mean refugees facing the potentially life-long uncertainty of being removed from the UK when the government deems their home country safe, and migrants living in the UK for decades with the uncertainty of temporary status because proposed ‘earned settlement’ policies deny them any chance of the security of settlement. We know through our services the struggles that migrant women face keeping their immigration status when they are a victim-survivor of VAWG, and the risks that precarious immigration status exposes them to – any further destabilisation foreseeably makes them more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

From our experience, women face gendered barriers in navigating immigration systems, and structural inequalities that can delay or deny access to status and protection. These challenges are magnified for women victim-survivors of VAWG who need government to understand and address their need for protection, not create the conditions for their vulnerability to be increased.

While the government is consulting on its ‘earned settlement’ proposals and considering whether to retain critical safeguards for victim-survivors of domestic abuse, we are deeply concerned that these proposals could undermine long-standing protections for women already facing serious risks.

We also recognise that the past week may have felt particularly bleak for the migrant women and families affected, as well as for the frontline professionals who support them navigate the already hostile environment in which they live. We are particularly mindful of the impacts on Black and minoritised women and the specialist ‘by and for’ organisations supporting them. These proposals cause disproportionate harm by further compounding the precarity and marginalisation produced by structural and systemic racism.

Rights of Women stands in solidarity with migrant women and the organisations that support them. We will continue to advocate for the rights and safety of all women in England and Wales, ensuring they are not left behind by policy decisions that fail to recognise the realities they face.