Rising racism and hostility is putting more women and children in danger

Racism and Islamophobia are making adult and child survivors less safe. Partners on our CADA (Children Affected by Domestic Abuse) programme report racially minoritised clients so fearful of community hostility that some have returned to abusive partners because it felt safer than the streets outside.  

This is what happens when anti-migrant rhetoric, “small boats” headlines and mass flag displays escalate fear. It pushes survivors back into harm and isolates specialist services, whose own staff feel fearful too, and are worried about the future of their commissioned services when funding is so under pressure.  

This summer we stood shoulder to shoulder with the VAWG sector to say: we reject the racist weaponisation of women’s safety. It harms survivors and distracts from ending abuse.   

The bitter irony? These flags, marches and performative “protections” haven’t protected women – they’ve heightened risk, pushing survivors away from services and back into harm. 

For professionals & the response system, we must:

• Name the risk. Factor racist hostility and community intimidation into risk assessment, safety planning and Marac discussions. 

• Protect access. Keep pathways open to by-and-for services; avoid gatekeeping and “proof” hurdles that silence fear. 

• Challenge narratives. Push back on messaging that links migration with violence; it increases risk and deters help-seeking.  

Back the services supporting vulnerable communities 

Support specialist services who are standing with minoritised survivors every day. They are the backbone of their communities and they are under immense strain. Invest in them, or we cut the lifelines survivors rely on. Reach out to them to offer support – their own frontline staff report feeling fearful about going work in this environment.  

Specialist by-and-for services like Endeavour’s Panah Project and Ashiana Sheffield are keeping pathways open for frightened survivors, while their own teams are navigating the same risks. They need sustained, multi-year funding, fair commissioning that protects specialist provision – and a policy environment that reduces harm, not a climate that stokes division.  

This is the cost of politics that scapegoats instead of protects. Domestic abuse is at epidemic levels, yet many politicians are prioritising demonising the marginalised over ending abuse – and it is survivors who pay the price. It is wrong. It is dangerous. And we must come together to call it out.