Contributions
1,528 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q It is just that the issue has come up a few times today, and I wanted some clarity. I would like a tiny bit more clarity specifically on that. If a migrant woman in, say,…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q You would never do that. Has any part of the VAWG strategy in this country ever made this suggestion for migrant women? Have there ever been any conversations, in the meetings…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Let us say that a woman had a spousal visa, or did not but was here with a partner, and was essentially being treated like a slave in their home, which would not be uncommon.…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Could you explain the purpose of the national referral mechanism? Andrea Simon: It is to deal with trafficking victims. You would not refer a victim of domestic abuse to the…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Me also, many, many times, when I worked for the organisation that Lucy works for. Have you ever seen cases of domestic abuse taken through the national referral mechanism?…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Would it necessarily be gender-specific? Andrea Simon: No.04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)How old is your child? Gilmara Garcia: Now, nearly twelve—nine or so at the time.04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Was that because you were not able to access any support because of your immigration status? Gilmara Garcia: No one knew what to do with me. The police did not know what to do.…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)So you were left to sleep rough on the streets of London. I will let other people come in; I just wanted to set the scene.04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Do you think that it is common for women in your situation to stay in a marriage? Somiya Basar: I do think it is common for a lot of women, usually due to the fear of losing of…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Just to finish up with Saliha, through your campaigning do you think that, at the moment, in different areas—you can probably only talk about your own local authority area—there…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Would you support some sort of ring-fencing of these sorts of specialisms being written into the law, to ensure that they are provided? Saliha Rashid: Definitely—it is important…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Thank you very much. Now I am going on to Somiya. Thank you very much for coming in. I have read a little bit about the story of your children and about your travels around the…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q And so are your children, so your children are now British citizens. What is your immigration status? Somiya Basar: Currently, we have applied for me to remain in the country as…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q But you came to this country because your children had been brought here from South Africa—is that correct? Somiya Basar: Yes.04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Your children have been brought here from South Africa. Do you currently have access to your children? Somiya Basar: I do have very limited access to my children. It took me…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q If you do not mind my asking—please feel free to say if you do not want to answer any of the questions I ask—did you suffer violence and abuse at the hands of your ex-partner?…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q Now that you are here in Britain, you have limited access through the family courts, presumably, to your children. You are fighting your immigration status. How long have you…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q When you have interacted with services in the United Kingdom, do you feel that they understand the issue of abandonment across borders? I am afraid that I have seen lots of…04 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Second sitting)Q In this country you are currently entitled to support through a pilot scheme that was funded through Southall Black Sisters, but you are not entitled to any other support.…04 Jun 2020