Southall Black Sisters View RSS

‘I am always anti-zionist. And never an antisemite. And always an anti-racist feminist against misogynist wars.’ – Zillah Eisenstein

At a time when the second year of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza has ended, the FiLiA conference in Brighton highlighted deep schisms within a feminist movement committed to end violence against women and girls.

Southall Black Sisters (SBS) has unequivocally condemned the actions of both Hamas and the Israeli state. Yet when SBS’s Chair called on women at the FiLiA conference to stand against the genocide in Gaza, she was heckled and accused of anti-semitism. Very few women, mainly minoritised women, stood with her in solidarity with the Palestinian people.  While she was being trolled on social media by women who were at the conference, FiLiA trustees asked our Chair to make a public statement distancing FiLiA from her call for solidarity with Palestine. It was a shocking denial of responsibility and a refusal to confront those responsible for the harm on the part of FiLiA.

SBS is a Black feminist, anti-racist organisation with a long history of confronting violence, racism and institutional betrayal. Only recently, our Executive Director was violently assaulted in a racist attack and then wrongly prosecuted, which should have made safeguarding for our members an absolute priority at FiLiA. Instead, SBS members and other Black feminists were left exposed to hostility and intimidation throughout the conference and at the Saturday night party. We had warned FiLiA in advance about the risks posed by the presence of women who had promised to disrupt the conference but the safeguarding measures proved inadequate. We came with victims-survivors of violence, migrant women and refugees who live with trauma and who believed they were entering a feminist space committed to safety, dignity and solidarity. Instead they witnessed harassment, racist comments and open intimidation from other attendees. It is in this environment that women felt empowered to attack SBS members on right-wing media platforms like GB News and UnHerd as anti-semites and Hamas apologists.

We therefore reassert without apology: solidarity with the Palestinian people is a feminist issue. It is incumbent on all of us to oppose genocide and apartheid, and to stand up for self-determination. Since October 2023, Israel has destroyed more than 80% of Gaza’s infrastructure – including water and energy supplies, hospitals and medical supplies, universities and schools – and over 70% of the homes and belongings of Gazan people. United Nations’ data confirms that more than 65,000 people have been killed – over 75% of those are women and children with some estimates putting the figure as high as 680,000 dead. Of these, 2600 people (mostly children) have been killed while seeking food at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites.

This atrocity has sparked the largest protests in UK history, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets – including Jewish blocs and Jewish feminist groups who refuse to hide behind their Jewish identity to remain silent in the face of genocide.

What we are witnessing today is not an aberration – it is the continuation of the Zionist settler-colonial project that began before the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948, when over 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced during the Nakba. As part of the Israeli government’s continuing policy to complete the displacement and prevent Palestinians from successfully establishing a homeland, they have promoted, encouraged and financed Hamas in order to sow division among the Palestinians, approving Qatari funding of Hamas to the tune of $30 million per month. When Hamas could no longer be contained by Israel as demonstrated by the 7^th October breakout, the Israeli government has switched its support to criminal gangs to undermine Hamas.

Our grief and condemnation of Hamas atrocities against the Israeli people, including sexual violence against our Jewish sisters, on 7^th October was framed by knowledge of the complicity of the Israeli state in the creation of Hamas and then rapidly overtaken by the disproportionate brutality of the Israeli government towards the Palestinians.

Southall Black Sisters has worked with FiLiA for many years, and has valued the platform it has provided for issues of racism, migration and religious fundamentalism, which is why the marginalisation of Palestine which was built into the structure of the event proved to be so shocking. Speakers were explicitly advised not to mention Palestine.  The only session addressing the killing of Palestinian women was literally pushed into the corridors of the conference venue.  The organisers of the session ‘Palestine liberation is a feminist issue’ were forced to hire a completely separate venue while a meeting of Zionist women was allowed to be held within the centre where women who respectfully expressed a contrary opinion were dragged out by security to the sound of aggressive and hate-filled cries of ‘Get her out’.  Palestinian supporters at the conference faced multiple forms of racism: keffiyehs and the Palestinian flag (described as ‘divisive’ and ‘provocative’) were snatched from women who were branded rape deniers or Hamas supporters, subjected to verbal abuse and even physical assault.

Intersectional feminism demands that we confront multiple structures of power – racism, colonialism, religious supremacy and patriarchy. A  feminism that refuses to name these forces, or only challenges them when politically convenient, is not intersectional; it is complicit. FiLiA’s statement reveals a refusal to confront racism and colonial violence  framing it as a question of “different perspectives,” “divisions” and “hurt feelings.” Challenging male supremacy while ignoring Zionist violence, apartheid, and colonial domination is not feminism.

We call on FiLiA to:

• Issue a clear and unequivocal statement that condemns ALL forms of racial and religious supremacy, not just Hamas but Zionism and the Israeli assault on the Palestinian people.
• To make a clear distinction between antisemitism, critique of the Israeli state, and acts of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
• To familiarise themselves with the numerous UN reports that have identified the Israeli assault on Gaza as genocide and ethnic cleansing that has involved heinous acts of violence against women and children (sexual assault, starvation, displacement, and reproductive violence).
• To reach out to, listen to, and apologise to the minoritised women at the FiLiA conference who were pushed to the margins – physically harassed, trolled, verbally abused, and labelled antisemitic simply for expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.
• Ensuring that safeguarding protects those most at risk, not those most likely to complain.

We need feminist spaces that do not ask us to abandon our politics at the door. Until that is a reality, we will continue to speak out. Not for permission, but for liberation.

Putting Women and Girls at the Centre

A joint statement from Southall Black Sisters, Latin American Women’s Rights Service, Women for Refugee Women, Rape Crisis England & Wales, End Violence Against Women Coalition, Women’s Aid, Refuge, Surviving Economic Abuse, Women’s Budget Group, Respect, and SafeLives

As the Labour Party Conference gets underway this weekend, specialist violence against women and girls (VAWG) organisations will take over the agenda – calling on the government to turn its pledge to halve VAWG within a decade into meaningful action.

Leading VAWG organisations – including community-based ‘by and for’ services – are coming together at the Conference to have the urgent conversations this government has neglected to hold. Through three key events, we will call for vital reforms:

• Sunday 28 September – Reception on building a whole-system approach to VAWG, focused on the sector’s priorities for the national strategy to ensure a joined-up, coordinated response to preventing VAWG, investing in support for victim-survivors, and holding perpetrators and institutions to account.
  
• Monday 29 September – Roundtable on the erasure of Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls from government commitments, focused on the systemic barriers facing these communities and the urgent reforms needed to ensure access to life-saving support and justice.
  
• Tuesday 30 September – Panel on post-separation abuse of women and children, focused on the hidden harms of abuse that continue after separation and the measures government must take to address them.

 These events will amplify the call for:

• A comprehensive, integrated, whole-system approach to prevent and respond to all forms of VAWG – including domestic abuse, sexual violence, economic abuse, so-called ‘honour’-based abuse, stalking, and online harms.
  
• Multi-year funding for specialist victim-survivor support services, with ringfenced support for ‘by and for’ organisations.
  
• Recognition of children as victims in their own right.
  
• A full firewall between the police and Immigration Enforcement, and the abolition of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) for migrant victim-survivors.
  
• The inclusion of asylum-seeking women within the government’s mission to end VAWG.

The Labour government’s pledge to halve VAWG within a decade is a welcome starting point. But pledges alone will not be enough. As the scourge of VAWG – perpetrated disproportionately by men – continues to devastate lives, urgent and decisive action is required. Too many victim-survivors are left with lasting trauma, and for some, the consequences are fatal. VAWG organisations’ events at the Conference will make clear that if the government is serious about its mission, it must listen to the sector, centre women and girls in every decision, and deliver the reforms needed to end VAWG once and for all.

For far too long, state failures to prevent violence and respond effectively to victim-survivors have left women and girls with little confidence in the system. A recent survey revealed that 69% of women had either first- or second-hand experience of VAWG. Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls are further marginalised by institutional racism and the barrier of NRPF. Research shows migrant women with NRPF are three times more likely to be subjected to VAWG. Femicide figures in London also highlight racial disproportionality: in 2023, over 62% of victims were Black, a shocking rise from 43% in 2022.

These numbers should stop us in our tracks. Behind every statistic is a woman or girl whose life has been cut short or profoundly harmed. Now, more than ever, we must prioritise tackling VAWG. The Labour manifesto offers hope for long-overdue reforms – reforms the specialist VAWG sector has been championing for decades.

Yet progress has been slow and, to VAWG organisations’ deep disappointment, meaningful consultation has been blocked. Even discussions on the forthcoming VAWG strategy – which will likely underpin the government’s solutions – have excluded many of the very experts who work alongside victim-survivors daily. This is alarming. The sector’s expertise is rooted in decades of lived experience and frontline evidence; silencing these voices risks designing policies that fail the very women they are meant to protect.

Instead of centring victim-survivors, the government has leaned too heavily on a criminal justice approach. Reform of our broken system is essential, as it currently re-traumatises many victim-survivors of sexual violence and abuse, particularly due to lengthy Crown Court backlogs and shamefully low charging and attrition rates. Yet a sole focus on the criminal justice system ignores the widespread mistrust that many women and girls hold towards it, preventing them from ever engaging with the system in the first place. This mistrust is even more acute for Black, minoritised, and migrant women, who often face disbelief, racist stereotypes, and the absence of a firewall to protect them from Immigration Enforcement when seeking help. Without a firewall, many women are forced to choose between silence and safety, fearing that reporting abuse will lead to detention or deportation. Research from the Step Up Migrant Women campaign found that over 60% of migrant women had the abuser threaten them with deportation if they sought help – showing how immigration status is weaponised to trap women in abuse.

Compounding this, investment in life-saving support has been grossly inadequate. Community-based ‘by and for’ services – proven to be highly effective – are six times less likely to receive government funding. Despite evidence showing a need for £502 million annually for victim-survivor domestic abuse support, including £280 million for community-based services, only £19.9 million additional funding has been pledged for victim-survivor support services this year to a handful of services, in the context of actual and real-terms cuts to existing funding streams. The effect of this inadequate funding is already having a tangible impact on victim-survivor services and victim-survivors, with three specialist Rape Crisis centres forced to close their doors already this year and services for Black, minoritised, and migrant victim-survivors operating under unprecedented precarity. While the Government has invested £53 million across four years into high-risk, high-harm domestic abuse perpetrator responses, the disparity with direct investment in essential victim-survivor support, particularly specialist ‘by and for’ services and sexual violence provision, is stark. These services remain on a cliff edge, raising a pressing question: where in these measures are victim-survivors being seen, heard, and supported?

The focus on reporting and already identified perpetrators sidelines Black, minoritised, and migrant women – particularly those with insecure immigration status – who face structural barriers to engaging with the criminal justice system. The failure to invest in specialist ‘by and for’ services not only leaves them with limited avenues for safety but also costs the state. Estimates show investment in such services could save £127 million nationally. Without this investment, marginalised women are left with the least protections and the greatest risks. In the current political climate, these risks are further exacerbated by the way VAWG is being weaponised to fuel racist, anti-immigrant narratives – distracting from the true causes of violence and undermining the frontline work that is already saving lives.

VAWG organisations see the Conference as a vital opportunity to reset the government’s approach. We urge ministers to recognise the urgency of what is being called for – and to work in partnership with the VAWG sector to deliver the transformative change women and girls have been demanding for decades.

Selma Taha, Executive Director, Southall Black Sisters, said:
“While we welcome the government’s commitment to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, we are extremely concerned that the current approach risks leaving Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls behind. Specialist, community-based ‘by and for’ services have too often been sidelined and excluded from vital conversations about the urgent reforms needed to prevent and address VAWG. We are calling for an end to this exclusion – we must have a seat at the table to share the lived experiences and needs of some of the most marginalised women and girls, and to contribute meaningfully to shaping legal and policy reforms, particularly in an increasingly racist and hostile immigration environment. We hope that the VAWG takeover at the Labour Party Conference will be a first step toward that change.”

 Gisela Valle, Executive Director, Latin American Women’s Rights Service, said:
“For far too long we have known that the prioritisation of immigration control over safety places migrant women at risk of violence and abuse whilst severely limiting their access to justice and support. Recent vital pieces of legislation such as the Domestic Abuse Act and the Victims and Prisoners Act left migrant survivors completely unprotected, cementing existing discriminatory responses that disproportionately affect black and minoritised migrant women. For this reason, an ambition to halve VAWG could not be achieved if it doesn’t specifically address the needs of those most marginalised and offers equal protection to all. The ending VAWG sector is keen to support the government’s development of a strategy that brings all of these considerations to the table to develop robust system wide responses that effectively respond to the needs of the most vulnerable. We view the VAWG takeover at the Labour Party Conference as a prime opportunity to foster this collaboration for the benefit of all.”

Andrea Vukovic, Co-Director, Women for Refugee Women, said:
“Most women seeking asylum in the UK are survivors of gender-based violence – including rape, domestic abuse, forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and female genital cutting. Yet their experiences are routinely overlooked, and instead of receiving the safety and support they need to recover, they are met with an asylum system that exposes them to further abuse, exploitation and harm. This not only causes immense suffering but directly undermines the Government’s ability to meet its pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. If asylum-seeking women are excluded from this promise, a dangerous two-tier system will persist – where asylum-seeking women, predominantly from racialised backgrounds, are treated as less deserving of protection and support. We look forward to building momentum around this issue at the Labour Party Conference, and to working with others across the sector to push for a VAWG strategy that leaves no woman behind. The government must recognise that protecting all survivors is not optional, it is essential for achieving real, lasting change.”

Dr Sara Reis, Deputy Director and Head of Policy and Research, UK Women’s Budget Group, said:
“The lifetime economic cost of sexual violence and abuse perpetrated in one year alone is estimated to be £400 billion. Failing to invest in tackling VAWG is not just morally indefensible – it’s also economically reckless.”

Gemma Sherrington, CEO, Refuge, said:
“The government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls is ambitious and important – and it’s vital we do not let that focus slip. This commitment must mean halving all forms of VAWG – both online and offline – and protecting all women and girls, including Black, minoritised and migrant women, and those with insecure immigration status. It must be backed by long-term, sustainable funding for frontline services – particularly ‘by and for’ organisations – and developed in genuine partnership with the specialist VAWG sector. We have a real opportunity to transform the systems that are failing women. We cannot afford to waste it.”

Ciara Bergman, Chief Executive, Rape Crisis England & Wales, said:
“Every year, Rape Crisis centres support enough survivors to fill Wembley Stadium. Our 24/7 Support Line connects another stadium’s worth of calls. And over a million people come to our website, most often wanting to know whether what happened to them ‘counts’.

We think it does. But a lack of political will or funding commitments means we are on the brink of losing these, and other, specialist support services. Rape Crisis Centres have not benefited from additional funding announcements, 3 Rape Crisis Centres have closed in the last year alone, and almost a third of our remaining centres (27%) are at risk of imminent closure unless the government commit to extending funding beyond March 2026. We call on the Government to secure the future of all services supporting women in the aftermath of VAWG, including vital specialist by-and-for services supporting Black, minoritised and migrant women and girls.

Survivors of male violence and abuse deserve better than this, and we know it’s possible.”

Farah Nazeer, CEO, Women’s Aid, said:
“We are at a pivotal moment in our fight towards eradicating domestic abuse – our government has made the welcome commitment to halving VAWG in the next decade and the time for decisive action is now. We urge the government to work with us and our sector colleagues to deliver change where it truly matters – the epidemic of VAWG will not be solved without addressing the root causes of misogyny and racism. Improving perpetrator responses and the criminal justice system alone will not work in isolation, we must listen to survivors and support them where they need it most, and for that, long-term, secure funding for domestic abuse services is essential. Only this can guarantee that the sector continues providing life-saving support to women and children when and where they need it most. Survivors must have the same access to support regardless of where they are in the country, regardless of their race or immigration status. The upcoming Strategy is a unique opportunity to make true, long-lasting change and keep women and children safe – we stand ready to work together to end this heinous crime once and for all.”

Andrea Simon, Executive Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition, said:
“We are now over one year on from the Labour government’s election with its manifesto commitment to halve VAWG within a decade. We are still without any published VAWG strategy which sets out what action the government plans to take to uphold the rights of women and girls to live free from violence and abuse. This state of limbo is causing great uncertainty for our coalition – with every day that passes, more women and girls are avoidably harmed and life-saving specialist VAWG services lose staff and face risk of closure. Meanwhile, the government’s approach to migration continues to entrap survivors, whilst migrant and racialised communities are targeted and scapegoated. The challenge we face is urgent. The End Violence Against Women Coalition is participating in this VAWG takeover at Labour Party conference to ensure that VAWG is a political priority for the government, that all survivors are supported without discrimination, and to set out our recommendations for change.”

Sam Smethers, CEO, Surviving Economic Abuse, said:
“Last year, 4.1 million UK women had their money and belongings controlled by an abusive current or ex-partner, trapping them in dangerous situations and making it harder to rebuild their lives. Black, Asian and other racially marginalised women are disproportionately affected, facing economic abuse at more than twice the rate of White women. For migrant victim-survivors, the risks are even greater and escape routes even fewer. To halve violence against women and girls, the government must scrap no recourse to public funds for migrant survivors, create a firewall between statutory services and immigration enforcement, and ensure migrant survivors can open a bank account while regularising their status. The Prime Minister has rightly called economic abuse a “national emergency”. Now we need action to match those words and break the cycle of economic abuse.”

Liz Thompson, Director of External Relations, SafeLives, said:
“We are 100% behind the ambition to halve VAWG in ten years. We call on the PM and the Chancellor to back this commitment with effective long-term resourcing for the system and the services which respond to victims and survivors, particularly those working to support marginalized and minoritised victims, and ensuring these voices are heard.  We want to see all Government departments playing an active role and backing any fine words in the new strategy with real cash and hard commitments. Survivor voices must be at the heart of the new strategy along with meaningful engagement with VAWG and domestic abuse services, who play such a vital role in supporting them.  We see the ambition from key Ministers to driving change – let’s match that with a pan-Government strategy which goes beyond the criminal justice system and into every area of the response. We stand ready to play our part in making that real for every adult and child survivor.”

Jo Todd CBE, Chief Executive, Respect, said:
“Respect is pleased to be working with our fellow VAWG sector partners to deliver our collective messages at this year’s Labour conference. The pledge to halve VAWG in a decade is an ambitious one that will only be fulfilled if the government takes a wider view that not only goes beyond criminal justice but also looks at the root causes of domestic abuse. In addition, we need to see government deliver the funding needed for victims to match the scale of the problem. We stand with our colleagues from the “by and for” organisations that have long been calling for meaningful inclusion in the development of the VAWG strategy, and for issues such as the lack of a firewall to protect migrant victims of domestic abuse to be addressed, as a matter of urgency.”

Media contact:
Sanskriti Sanghi, Communications, Policy & Strategic Litigation Manager, Southall Black Sisters
Email: Sanskriti@southallblacksisters.co.uk

A joint statement from Southall Black Sisters and The Monitoring Group on the far-right demonstration in London on Saturday 13 September 2025

We, Southall Black Sisters and The Monitoring Group, are deeply concerned by last Saturday’s far-right march on Whitehall and the lack of robust police protection for counter-protestors and members of the public. Our own supporters were surrounded by far-right marchers and some suffered racial abuse on route to the counter demonstration. The size of the march was unprecedented and a stark reminder of widespread racist attacks and murders that led to our own formations in the 1970s.

Over the last few months, race incidents have spiralled nationally. The far-right want our communities to feel afraid and isolated. They have been emboldened by global funding and a political establishment that seeks to scapegoat migrants, particularly Muslims. The austerity that has been manufactured by successive governments has plunged vast sections of our society into poverty and has been effectively mobilised against migrants.

We reject and condemn the demonisation of migrants through xenophobic portrayals of ‘boat people’. Moreover, racist assumptions about sexual exploitation and abuse have been allowed to spread and spurred violent mobs to gather outside asylum seeker accommodations.

We condemn the weaponisation of sexual violence to serve any agenda, especially narrow, patriarchal and religious agendas, that erases victim-survivors’ voices. Disturbingly, many of the men protesting and claiming to ‘protect’ women and children against refugees have convictions for domestic and sexual violence themselves.

In the Midlands, a young Asian woman was raped by two white men who said, ‘You don’t belong in this country, get out.’ The police are reported to be treating the rape as a racially aggravated crime. While we welcome a more responsive stance from law enforcement we remain deeply concerned about the justice system’s long-standing failures in addressing sexual and racial violence.

We condemn sexual violence, no matter the race of the perpetrator, because misogyny and sexism are not confined to any one race or community. They are embedded in patriarchal systems of power, deeply intertwined with racism and economic inequality. Sexual violence must never be reduced to a tool for racism or patriarchal control. To achieve true justice, we must dismantle these intersecting systems of oppression.

We denounce the government’s increasingly draconian immigration measures designed to appease far-right extremists. These measures endanger the very migrant women we support – victim-survivors of domestic abuse, some of whom are forced to endure racist protests outside the temporary accommodations that they may be housed in. We also denounce religious authoritarian groups that claim to speak for us yet reinforce control over women and girls in our communities.

We demand decisive government action to shut down far-right intimidation and foster a bold, anti-racist and anti-sexist vision for our society and pledge support for the twelve demands made by SBS with support from 60+ organisations in the violence against women and girls, anti-racist and migrants’ rights sectors in the wake of last summer’s racist violence. We call upon all civil society members including trade unions, feminists and all anti-racists to build unity and promote an inclusive Britain.

Notes to the editor:

• Southall Black Sisters is a not-for-profit, secular organisation established in 1979 to support Black, minoritised, and migrant women facing domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls. SBS provides holistic frontline services – including advice, advocacy, and counselling – alongside strategic litigation, training, and campaigning to influence law, policy, and public attitudes. SBS is especially recognised for its pioneering work with women who have insecure immigration status and are denied access to safety and justice because of it.
• Since its inception in the late 1970’s, The Monitoring Group has challenged  racial injustice through a multi-faceted approach that combines direct support, advocacy, community mobilisation, and movement building. It is acknowledged as an architect of family-led justice campaigns and a driving force for community defence campaigns in the UK.
• Please see the twelve demands made by Southall Black Sisters with support from 60+ organisations to the Prime Minister in the aftermath of the Southport killings and the outbreak of racist violence last year.

Media contact:

Sanskriti Sanghi, Communications, Policy & Strategic Litigation Manager, Southall Black Sisters
Email: Sanskriti@southallblacksisters.co.uk

Suresh Grover, National Coordinator & Founder, The Monitoring Group
Email: sgrover@tmg-uk.org

Another Life Stolen, Another Systemic Failure

We are devastated and outraged by today’s sentencing in the case of Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche, who was brutally murdered by her abusive partner, Gogoa Tape, in April 2024.

A victim-survivor of coercive control and abuse, Kennedi had made the difficult decision to leave Tape just weeks before her murder. In a final act of violence, Tape strangled her in her own car after asking her to give him a lift. Today, instead of being convicted of murder, he received only a hospital order on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

This outcome is a profound betrayal of Kennedi, her family, and all victim-survivors of abuse. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) accepted Tape’s plea despite his long-standing pattern of abusive behaviour, escalating drug use, and no significant history of mental illness. Once again, the system has chosen to minimise violence against women and girls (VAWG), failing to treat it with the seriousness it demands and disregarding its devastating impact on countless lives.

Both the sentence itself and the way Kennedi’s family were repeatedly silenced throughout the process expose the gaping holes in a criminal justice system that continues to fail women – not only in life, but also in death.

These failures are even more stark for Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls, who face compounded barriers such as institutional racism and No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). Statistical evidence of femicide in the capital underscores this disparity: in 2023, 62% of recorded victims were Black, up from an already alarming 43% in 2022. It is clear that these women are systematically denied safety and support, and even in death, their experiences are rendered invisible and erased.

We cannot allow this injustice to continue. For a government that has pledged to halve VAWG within a decade, Kennedi’s case must be a wake-up call – a stark reminder that wholesale system reform is urgently needed, tackling root causes and centring the voices of those most affected.

Southall Black Sisters (SBS) stands with Kennedi’s family and other campaigners in demanding an urgent review of the sentence in this case, as well as reform of the diminished responsibility defence – particularly in cases where there is a clear history of domestic abuse and coercive control. The system must draw on the expertise of specialist, community-based ‘by and for’ Black, minoritised, and migrant women’s services, to truly understand and respond to victim-survivors’ lived experiences.

We also call for a public inquiry into femicide in the UK, with particular attention to its disproportionate impact on Black, minoritised, and migrant women.

As Dr Hannana Siddiqui, Head of Policy, Campaigns, and Research at Southall Black Sisters, states:
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche and shocked that her partner, Gogoa Tape’s plea of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility was accepted by the CPS. We are extremely concerned that this is a gross miscarriage of justice as Kennedi was killed in a context of an abusive relationship. A reduced charge makes a mockery of the system which claims to protect women, prevent death, and dispense justice. We call for a public inquiry into the high rates of femicide, which are disproportionate for Black, minoritised, and migrant women. The inquiry should include examining ‘hidden homicides’, which are often missed or dismissed by the police, the CPS and the courts.”

Kennedi’s life mattered. Her death demands justice. Her family deserves answers. And our communities demand change.

^{Photo credit: BBC}

Today, the government announced a raft of new measures to tackle so-called ‘honour’-based abuse.

While we welcome the inclusion of ‘honour’-based abuse within its wider commitment to halving violence against women and girls (VAWG) over the next decade – a demand we have consistently championed since the start of Labour’s tenure – these measures fall short of what is needed.

Most notably, the government has failed to include Banaz’s Law. This omission is deeply concerning. Banaz’s Law is led by Bekhal Mahmod – herself a victim-survivor of ‘honour’-based abuse and the sister of Banaz Mahmod, murdered in an ‘honour killing’ in 2006 – and supported by Southall Black Sisters (SBS). The law would ensure that ‘honour’-based abuse is explicitly recognised as an aggravating factor in sentencing, backed by robust statutory guidance shaped by lived experience and the expertise of ‘by and for’ Black, minoritised, and migrant women’s organisations.

Such a law would stop ‘honour’-based abuse from being ignored, dismissed, or excused by statutory agencies under the guise of ‘cultural sensitivity’ or institutional racism. It would also ensure that ‘honour’ can never be invoked as a defence for homicide or other crimes, while driving crucial normative change within communities by making clear that tackling ‘honour’-based abuse is fundamental to achieving gender equality.

Banaz’s Law already has strong political backing. It was tabled in Parliament under the Crime and Policing Bill by Kirith Entwistle MP, with support from more than 50 MPs, and previously introduced under the Criminal Justice Bill by Jess Phillips, now Minister for Safeguarding and VAWG.

Bekhal Mahmod, victim-survivor and sister of Banaz, said:
“I welcome that the Government is taking some measures to address honour based abuse (HBA). I am, however, concerned that Banaz’s Law is not included. I have campaigned for this law in the name of my beloved sister, Banaz, with Southall Black Sisters for five years. I am grateful for the support of Jess Phillips MP, who argued for this reform in Parliament when in opposition. Over 50 MPs and many organisations working on HBA support this reform. I hope that the new Government will now urgently take action to introduce Banaz’s Law so that my sister’s tragic death is not in vain.”

We therefore urge the government to treat Banaz’s Law as a priority within this new legislative package – one it claims will be acted upon at the ‘earliest possible opportunity’ – to ensure these measures deliver real, systemic change.

Beyond Banaz’s Law, we remain concerned that the new measures fail to address the root causes that prevent Black, minoritised, and migrant victim-survivors from seeking protection.

One glaring omission is the government’s continued failure to recognise the reality facing migrant women subjected to ‘honour’-based abuse. The majority have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and are routinely denied statutory protection, status, and support. This leaves them trapped in an impossible choice: endure abuse, face destitution, or risk deportation. At SBS, more than 60% of our service users are migrant women with NRPF, and over 70% experience ‘honour’-based abuse. Unless this injustice is tackled, many will remain invisible and unprotected.

To empower these women to report abuse and seek safety, the government must take a rights-based approach by extending the combined model of the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and the Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain (DVILR) to all migrant women, regardless of immigration status. This would allow women to access public funds and secure their status in the UK as victim-survivors of abuse.

The barriers facing Black, minoritised, and migrant women are not accidental – they are structural, rooted in the hostile environment and institutional racism. Without addressing these deep injustices, piecemeal reforms will neither inspire trust nor deliver safety. Systemic change must therefore include both immigration reform and eradicating institutional racism in policing, alongside recognising ‘honour’-based abuse as an aggravating factor in sentencing. Only then can the criminal justice system begin to command the confidence of those it has long failed.

Crucially, the government must also engage in meaningful consultation with the specialist ‘by and for’ sector, adequately resourcing our expertise and time, to avoid yet another cycle of tokenistic policy-making that fails women on the ground.

Sustainable, ring-fenced funding for the ‘by and for’ sector is non-negotiable. While investment in the national ‘honour’-based abuse helpline is important, any increase in reporting will have a direct impact on community-based services. Without corresponding investment, these services – which provide culturally competent, holistic support – risk being stretched beyond breaking point. The government has already committed £53 million to perpetrator programmes. It is unacceptable that investment in victim-survivors, particularly through ‘by and for’ services, does not reflect the scale of demand or the life-saving role we play. The disparity is stark and must urgently be addressed.

We therefore call on the government to adopt the following demands as part of its initiative to tackle ‘honour’-based abuse:

• Introduce Banaz’s Law to make ‘honour’-based abuse a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing, supported by statutory guidance informed by victim-survivors and the ‘by and for’ sector.
• Abolish No Recourse to Public Funds, extending the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession and Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain to all victim-survivors regardless of immigration status.
• Provide sustainable, ring-fenced funding for ‘by and for’ Black, minoritised, and migrant women’s services, which are under severe strain despite their crucial role in saving lives and saving the state money.
• Meaningfully consult with victim-survivors and the ‘by and for’ sector on all new measures – legislation, guidance, training, and research – to ensure change is rooted in expertise and lived experience.

Anything less risks condemning Black, minoritised, and migrant women to remain invisible within a system that does not see them, hear them, or protect them.

Southall Black Sisters Launches Film Screenings to Celebrate Feminist Resistance and Community Power with BFI Support

Southall Black Sisters (SBS) is proud to announce its latest initiative in community engagement, supported by National Lottery funding via Film Hub London part of the BFI Film Audience Network. The funding enables SBS to host a series of inspiring film screenings as part of its “Inspiring Through Creativity” strand—an extension of the organisation’s commitment to creating culturally safe, empowering spaces for Black, minoritised, and migrant women.

SBS is a specialist ‘by and for’ Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls’ organisation offering holistic, wraparound support and a national platform for policy, campaigns, and strategic litigation that empowers women and girls to live free from domestic abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG). Its work spans advice, campaigning, legal support, and community-based empowerment rooted in intersectional feminist values.

SBS’s Support Group and Community Engagement programme allows service users and their children to participate in meaningful learning and recreational opportunities, such as seminars, English classes, and creative arts projects.

Enabled by this funding, SBS service users will come together to experience powerful documentaries, uplifting narratives, and imaginative cinema—not just on personal screens, but on the big screen, as a collective.

This summer’s screenings will showcase documentaries on women’s activism, the legacy of South Asian feminists in Britain, and celebrate cinema as a tool for healing, solidarity, and social change.

Additionally, SBS service users will have the chance to volunteer and learn new skills such as event management, ushering, health and safety planning, and customer engagement—gaining experience and confidence along the way.

Screening Schedule:

26 July | Dominion Daydreamers Festival
10am – 9pm (SBS slot: 2.30pm – 4pm) FREE
A Fearful Silence (1986), directed by Azad Productions
The Dominion Centre, 112 The Green, Southall UB2 4BQ
Includes a post-screening Q&A on feminist activism and resistance.

12 August | Women’s Activism in Focus: A Documentary Afternoon
2pm – 5pm (Women-only event) FREE
An afternoon of films exploring the South Asian feminist struggle in Britain, followed by a panel discussion with guest speakers.
The Dominion Centre, Southall
This is a women-only screening to offer a safe, inclusive space for reflection and discussion.

Invitation-only Screening
An animated feature film screening for SBS service users and their families—designed to bring joy, escapism, and the full cinema experience to many who can rarely access it.

“There’s something magical about sharing a film with your community—laughing, learning, and spilling popcorn together. These screenings are about connection, visibility, and empowerment.” – SBS spokesperson

Partners and Thanks
This programme is supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London, as part of the BFI Film Audience Network, with National Lottery funding. SBS is also grateful to The Dominion Centre, House of AEIOU, and a private donor who helped make these events possible.

Notes to Editors
About Southall Black Sisters (SBS)
Founded in 1979, SBS is a pioneering, not-for-profit organisation that advocates for Black, minoritised, and migrant women and girls facing violence and inequality. Through crisis intervention, long-term advocacy, and campaigning, SBS works to advance human rights, dignity, and freedom—addressing the intersections of race, gender, class, immigration status, and disability. More: www.southallblacksisters.org.uk

About Film Hub London and the BFI Film Audience Network
Film Hub London, led by Film London, is part of the UK-wide BFI FAN, working to bring diverse British and international cinema to local audiences. Backed by the National Lottery, FAN supports inclusive access to film through funding, training, and audience development. More: www.filmlondon.org.uk

Contact: Suman Bhuchar
E: suman@southallblacksisters.co.uk

We are deeply disappointed by yesterday’s government announcement of a £53 million support package aimed at tackling offenders, while once again failing to provide desperately needed funding for Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

Women with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) are three times more likely to experience violence against women and girls (VAWG). This immigration condition creates insurmountable barriers for Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors seeking safety—preventing them from reporting abuse, accessing support, or fleeing violence. It emboldens perpetrators and repeat offenders who weaponise the hostile environment—a system sustained by government policy—to trap, silence and harm women with insecure immigration status.

A focus on identified perpetrators relies heavily on reporting, which is significantly limited among migrant women with insecure immigration status—largely due to the absence of statutory entitlements that guarantee safety and support for those who come forward. But even Black and minoritised women with British citizenship face significant barriers to reporting, shaped by long-standing mistrust of statutory agencies, particularly the police, and fear of being dismissed, disbelieved, or criminalised. Any serious effort to hold perpetrators accountable must confront these structural inequalities that prevent all victim-survivors—regardless of immigration status—from being recognised, prioritised, and supported. Addressing these systemic barriers requires dedicated funding, especially for specialist ‘by and for’ services, to deliver meaningful social benefit and reduce long-term costs to the state.

And yet, despite this systemic failure to protect Black, minoritised and migrant women, the specialist, led ‘by and for’ services that support these women not only deliver life-saving work, but are estimated to save the government £42 million annually. We do more with less—but we cannot do it alone, nor should we have to.

To date, the government funding for the VAWG sector, specifically for victim-survivors, remains far below what is needed. For example, the widely acclaimed Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme—the only national initiative of its kind—serves as a critical safety net but remains vastly under-resourced. While the Domestic Abuse Commissioner estimates that nearly 32,000 migrant victim-survivors require support, the scheme can only support approximately 475 women per year. This gap between need and provision has been further widened locally by the recent 4.2% core funding cut by the Ministry of Justice. As a result, vital projects like the London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service (LHAWAS)—a unique and life-saving service for migrant women with NRPF—are being decommissioned. This amounts to the state withdrawing essential protection, leaving women at greater risk of harm, with no equivalent services to turn to.

The legal reforms we call for to address the gaping holes in the current framework of support are backed by our decades of expertise and research evidence. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office estimates that extending the combined Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (which gives access to benefits), and the Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain rule (a pathway to regularising immigration status) will save the government £2 billion over a decade.

Despite the undeniable moral, fiscal and public safety case for investing in specialist ‘by and for services’—which are six times less likely to receive government funding—this government has yet again chosen to turn its back on Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors.

It is also our responsibility to flag that the programme announced today is likely to have extremely limited impact on Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors due to its failure to address the systemic barriers and lack of statutory entitlements that severely limit their ability to safely report perpetrators without fear of retribution or deportation.

While we recognise the importance of initiatives aimed at tackling offenders, these must be rolled out alongside large-scale, long-term investment in ‘by and for’ services—which have been brought to their knees by fifteen years of austerity, with several now facing decommissioning. Without this, we have deep concerns about the ability of these services to continue delivering the holistic, life-saving support urgently needed by thousands of victim-survivors across the country.

We call on the government to urgently adopt the following demands to ensure that Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors are not pushed through the cracks and that their mission to halve VAWG in a decade, which we wholeheartedly support, remains achievable:

1. Ring fence sufficient, sustainable funding for specialist holistic ‘by and for’ refuge and community-based services for migrant women, which are often their first or key source of support enabling them to report abuse and access mainstream services. The Investing in Safety research estimates that ‘by and for’ services save the government £127 million over three years due to our work supporting victim-survivors with NRPF. We back the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office’s call for £158 million ring-fenced annually for ‘by and for’ services.
2. Invest more in the devolved nations and Northern England to ‘level up’ provision for migrant victim-survivors, including in specialist holistic ‘by and for’ services.
3. Extend the combined Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain (DVILR) model to all migrant victim-survivors of abuse, regardless of their immigration status, to prevent them from being trapped in violent relationships. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office estimates that this extension will save the government £2 billion over a decade.
4. Extend the current three-month MVDAC provision to six months to give victim-survivors the ‘breathing space’ to seek advice, recover from abuse, and encourage more refuge providers to accept referrals without turning victim-survivors away.
5. Abolish NRPF to allow migrants full access to welfare and support when needed. This policy currently affects over 2.58 million people in the UK. 

Southall Black Sisters honours the legacy of Gurwinder Kaur and calls for action against domestic abuse

Southall Black Sisters (SBS) welcomes the guilty verdict delivered on 29 April 2025, convicting Ravi Yadav of raping and financially abusing his wife, Gurwinder Kaur. We believe the ruling to be one of the first of its kind in the UK, where a conviction for rape has been secured despite the victim tragically passing away before the conclusion of the trial. It is a powerful affirmation of Gurwinder’s truth and a significant moment of justice after years of abuse, silence, and struggle.

Gurwinder endured a lifetime of brutal and dehumanising abuse, much of which she bravely disclosed to SBS. She told us how, at just 19 years old, she was relentlessly coerced into marriage by Ravi Yadav, who threatened suicide when she initially refused his proposals. The abuse began even before the marriage and only escalated significantly afterwards.

Following their wedding in 2004, Gurwinder lived with her in-laws in India, where she was subjected to dowry-related harassment, domestic servitude, and daily humiliation. As a Sikh woman, she also faced religiously motivated abuse from her Hindu husband and his family, who persistently degraded her, telling her she was “less than them.” This toxic mix of coercion, patriarchy, and religious discrimination laid the foundation for a life marked by fear, subjugation, and silencing.

In 2005, Gurwinder joined Ravi Yadav in the UK, hoping for a better life—but the violence escalated. Over the years, she endured verbal, emotional, physical, and financial abuse. She was isolated, repeatedly threatened with the removal of her children to India, and forced to live in a volatile, terror-filled home where intimidation was constant, and safety was a distant hope.

The most harrowing incident took place on the night of 27 January 2020, when Ravi Yadav raped Gurwinder twice. He slapped her, pulled her hair, and spat at her in contempt, shouting,  “You’re a woman, how dare you say no to me!”. Gurwinder was left deeply traumatised. She described the assaults to SBS as profoundly violating and unforgettable.

Yet despite the horrors she endured, Gurwinder showed extraordinary courage. With support from SBS, she sought and secured legal protection—determined to break free from the cycle of violence and reclaim her dignity.

Following the perpetrator’s arrest on 30 August 2020, he was released on bail with conditions prohibiting any direct contact with Gurwinder. In response, SBS took swift and decisive action to ensure her safety. We successfully secured Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders, preventing the perpetrator from contacting Gurwinder or returning to the family home. These legal protections were vital in safeguarding both Gurwinder and her children during a critical time.

Tragically, Gurwinder passed away before she could see her abuser brought to justice. Initially the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) declined to proceed with the case, citing her death as a barrier to prosecution. However, following sustained pressure from SBS—alongside Dr Kulwant Singh and Pinder Kaur who had been unwavering sources of support and strength for Gurwinder within the community—the CPS reversed its decision and agreed to pursue charges. The case was taken forward by a committed officer who worked closely with us, carefully considering the extensive evidence submitted by SBS and our partners.

Crucially, the abuse suffered by Gurwinder’s children was also taken into account during the investigation and legal proceedings, acknowledging the broader and intergenerational impact of domestic abuse.

Although Gurwinder tragically passed away from cancer before the trial, her meticulous and heartfelt testimony, along with  the compelling evidence she provided, played a central role in securing a swift and unanimous guilty verdict from the jury.

The perpetrator Ravi Yadav will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 1 May 2025 at 2pm.

Reflecting on Gurwinder’s case, Shakila Taranum Maan, Head of Legal Affairs and Community Engagement at SBS, said: “While Gurwinder’s life was marked by extraordinary resilience in the face of relentless abuse, her legacy is one of courage and hope. Her decision to speak out, despite the risks, sends a powerful message to other women trapped in silence.

We wish to acknowledge Pinder Kaur and Dr Kulwant Singh, who offered invaluable care to Gurwinder in her final months. Their compassion and leadership—alongside SBS—continue to challenge harmful community norms and demand accountability.

This conviction must serve as a turning point. SBS calls for urgent reforms to better protect women—especially those facing multiple barriers due to race, religion, class, caste, disabilities, and immigration status. No woman should ever have to die for her truth to be believed.”

Media contact: Sanskriti Sanghi, Policy, Campaigns and Communications Officer
E: Sanskriti@southallblacksisters.co.uk
T: 07771316138

“I tell you what freedom is to me. No fear.” – SBS service user

“Women are so strong even after defeat.” – SBS service user

“Without women, world is nothing. Respect all women if you think you are a real hero.” – SBS service user

“We are women. We are united. We are strong. We are powerful. 2025!! Accelerate the action.” – SBS service user

“Government knows it all. We need ACTION.” – SBS service user

Violence against women and girls is an epidemic with profound and lasting individual and societal impact. This is borne disproportionately by Black, minoritised and migrant women and girls who encounter additional structural barriers to support, such as institutional racism and the No Recourse to Public Funds condition.

At Southall Black Sisters, we provide life-saving specialist support and campaign for the rights of women and girls from these marginalised communities.

International Women’s Day is an annual reminder of the progress we’ve made, but also the fight that continues. The theme for this year is ‘Accelerate Action’. To ensure that progress towards gender equality and improved accountability for violence against women and girls does not leave behind Black, minoritised and migrant women and girls, we are calling on the government to –

End the discrimination against migrant women and girls to accelerate action.

Extend the right to access public funds and settlement to all migrant victim-survivors and establish a firewall to accelerate action.

Abolish No Recourse to Public Funds to accelerate action.

Introduce Banaz’s Law, a statutory aggravating factor for ‘honour’-based abuse, to accelerate action.

Introduce an offence of manslaughter due to domestic abuse so we can better recognise and link domestic abuse and suicide and accelerate action.

Eradicate institutional racism in policing to accelerate action.

Ring-fence sufficient and sustainable funding for community-based ‘by and for’ services to accelerate action.

In our International Women’s Day celebrations with the peer-to-peer support group, service users also called on the government to –

Recognise that all women should be treated as equals to accelerate action.

Ensure intersectional needs are accounted for to accelerate action.

End No Recourse to Public Funds to accelerate action.

Guarantee justice for asylum seekers to accelerate action.

Keep an eye on the police to accelerate action.

Alter the perception of women and women’s issues in politics to accelerate action.

Invest in education with an emphasis on tackling harmful attitudes towards women and girls to accelerate action.

Undertake measures to reduce the impact of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis to accelerate action.

Extend more financial support to charities such as Southall Black Sisters to accelerate action.

This International Women’s Day, please support our vital work. We welcome your donations and participation in our campaigns.

Donate to Southall Black Sisters. Please mention ‘IWD 2025’ in the transfer reference when making the donation.

An inquest into the death of Michelle Sparman opens on Monday, 27^th January 2025 for a 3-4 day hearing at Inner West London Coroner’s Court, 33 Tachbrook St., London, SW1V 2JR.

Michelle, a Caribbean woman, tragically died by suicide in August 2021 after attempting to take her own life at Queen Mary’s hospital, where she had been admitted as a voluntary inpatient.

Michelle’s family has concerns that she was subjected to coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB) by her ex-partner and the father of her two children in the years leading to her death. The family will invite the Coroner to investigate whether NHS agencies failed to act on reports of CCB by Michelle, and to consider how the behaviour of her ex-partner impacted on Michelle’s mental health.

The inquest will determine whether Michelle died by suicide and, if so, how it happened. It will also determine if the relevant agencies failed to protect her and are in breach of their duty under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Michelle’s family have pro bono legal representation from Hogan Lovells International LLP and Jennifer MacLeod and Jagoda Klimowicz of Brick Court Chambers. They are also supported by Southall Black Sisters and Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse in their quest for justice.