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Women continue to be turned away from refuges figures show |
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Monday, 07 January 2008 |
Scottish women and children facing abuse in the home continue to be denied access to refuges because of a lack of space driven by funding shortfalls.
Scottish Women’s Aid’s annual report for April 2006 – March 2007 showed the number of women admitted to refuge fell by one per cent on last years figure to 23 per cent. In 68 per cent of cases where a woman was refused refuge, lack of space was the reason cited.
SWA spokesperson Jacq Kelly said the figures demonstrated the need for major funding increases to allow refuges to accommodate women and children in danger or distress:
“What these figures make clear is that long-term, sustainable funding is needed to secure refuge provision. It’s a source of concern that in some cases refuges were able to offer accommodation to as little as 5 per cent of those asking for help and that the reason cited for this in most cases was a lack of space.
“What is clear is that there is clear political support for tackling violence against women, and we would urge MSPs and those working in local government to do everything in their power to secure local services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.”
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 January 2008 )
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