UK leaving migrant women in limbo, threatening their safety
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London will not approve regulations to assist migrant women in fleeing their abusers, which opponents argue will put them at much more risk.
After a 10-year delay, Britain will ratify the Istanbul Convention, an international convention guaranteeing women's rights, this month, but only partially.
The administration has said that it would not approve regulations to assist migrant women in fleeing their abusers, which opponents argue will put them at much more risk.
In one instance, a migrant woman, Miriam, stated that her husband took their three British children to a country that had not signed an international treaty with Britain against child abduction.
She now lives in Britain and details a difficult legal struggle for the right to reside in the same nation as her British-born children.
She describes a "life in limbo" due to Britain denying her indefinite leave to remain, live and work in Britain.
Elizabeth Jimenez-Yanez, coordinator of the #StepUpMigrantWomen campaign called the situation of the migrants "dire," describing that Britain sends a "really dangerous message."
"You are sending the message to perpetrators that there will not be consequences if you abuse migrant women."
While it is difficult to quantify how many migrant women are victims of domestic abuse, women's groups claim the majority stay in violent relationships out of fear of being forced to leave a nation where they have created a home.
The Istanbul Convention, ratified by the Council of Europe in 2011, is the world's first legally enforceable instrument to prevent and combat violence against women.
The United Kingdom has said that it would not enforce Article 59, which compels governments to grant residency to survivors whose immigration status is dependent on a spouse or partner.
A House of Lords parliamentary committee recently encouraged the government to ratify the treaty with the provision.
Miriam said it took over a year for her to receive financial assistance since migrant women do not have the entitlement to public support.
Jimenez-Yanez considers this a double-victimization.
She told AFP that "They are victimized by perpetrators, but they are also victimized by the system. Imagine how bad the situation is for someone who is more afraid of the police than the perpetrator."
The government has said that Article 59 would not be enforced while a trial project to assist migrant women is underway, coordinated by the women's organization Southall Black Sisters.
The study focuses on the impact of giving migratory women housing and financial help, "but it's not really looking at the impact of residency," according to Hannana Siddiqui, the group's head of policy and research.
She accused the government of using the scheme as an "excuse" to avoid Article 59. "We would say you need both: you need access to benefits and residency," she added.
Some women's rights advocates feel the decision to refuse help to migrant women is a continuation of the British government's "anti-migrant" attitude.
The UK has recently already been in hot water over the defense of its Rwanda deportation policy.
In an escalation of his government's plans to deport those crossing into the UK to seek sanctuary, PM Boris Johnson has said that Ukrainian refugees entering the UK without authorization may also be deported to Rwanda.
It is worth noting that the London-Kigali scheme, which involves Britain deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda thousands of miles away, has sparked outrage.
The migrant arrangement has been strongly condemned by rights groups, church leaders, and the United Nations, not to mention that it threatens to overshadow this week's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
