Stratford and Bow MP Uma Kumaran is co-sponsoring a bill to give victims of domestic abuse ten days paid “safe leave”
A new law supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse is being co-sponsored by local MP Uma Kumaran. The new law, currently going through Parliament, has co-sponsored a new law designed to give victims of domestic abuse ten days paid “safe leave” from work.
Proposed by Gloucester’s MP Alex McIntyre, the law will allow people experiencing domestic abuse time off to deal with a range of related issues from getting to safety, to arranging childcare and attending court hearings or police interviews.
Mr McIntyre noted in his speech to the House of Commons in January that currently victims need to take sick leave or holiday to carry out many of these tasks. They often risk losing their jobs if they fall foul of company sickness policies and at a time when they need financial security the most.
He described domestic abuse as a “national emergency,” with charity SafeLives reporting that approximately 2.1 million people in the UK have experienced some form of domestic abuse.
Stratford and Bow MP Ms Kumaran, who is co-sponsoring the Bill, said: “Every MP across the country will have been contacted by women and men in their constituencies who have suffered domestic abuse at some point in their lives, often with harrowing stories about how impossible they found it to leave their abusers due to financial difficulties.
She says that research from Women’s Aid estimates that fleeing an abuser and building a new life costs the survivor around £50,000. “Survivors need safety and support – not the fear of losing their jobs,” she said.
The Bill has now passed to its second reading and will be debated again in the House of Commons on Friday 20 June.
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