Tories Run Protection Racket Against Women Fleeing Domestic Violence

On this year’s International Women’s Day during which the House of Commons sat to listen to Chancellor Philip Hammond praised the fact that the day was also ‘Women’s Day’ as well as Budget Day, a little noticed bit of sexist legislation was enacted.

You might ask what that may have been given it was never mentioned in TV news media!

Simply this: the Tampon Tax was reintroduced, but this time, the money raised each year, around £15 million: will be used to fund organisations and charities providing women’s refuges and other domestic violence support work.

Despite the fact that in 2016 David Cameron announced it would be scrapped and we now have a female PM, once again, it is now official government policy that women fleeing rape and violence in their own homes from their partners; will have to fund their own help and support services during their years of menstruation by being taxed on sanitary protection!

In other words, the Tories are running a mafia style protection racket against women of the UK!

If this alone was not so shamefull, the funding for domestic violence support and women’s refuges has already been cut from £15 million to £12 million; causing a 30 per cent reduction in specialist domestic violence services as funds disappear.

Last year, grants to local authorities, used to fund women’s refuges, were cut by 56 per cent, and forcing women to fund their own protection is both insulting and misogynistic in the eyes of most women’s campaign groups.

Commenting on the budget announcement, CWU North West Regional Women’s Officer, Karen Bosson said:

"Once again its women who are taking the brunt of this government’s decisions. Women have always supported other women but now we’re being taxed to provide it!"

According to Women’s Aid, 369 women are turned away from shelters each week. Since 2010, the only violent crime to rise has been violence against women, and that includes sex attacks on trains, whilst Legal Aid cuts have routinely victimised women fleeing their violent partners.

Furthermore, writing in the Independent newspaper, columnist and freelance journalist Harriet Williamson points out:

"Specialist services for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women and girls are particularly at risk. They provide a lifeline for those who would be unlikely to feel comfortable approaching a more general domestic violence organisation.

Often run by BAME women, they have specific expertise in areas like female genital mutilation, forced marriage and honour-based violence. These services have struggled to survive since their inception, and local authority cuts make their future very uncertain, potentially leaving thousands of vulnerable women and girls with nowhere to turn."

You can add your name to a petition against this Tampon Tax and the financial descriminationand social problems it causes here

Source: Philip Hammond Budget Statement / Hansard / The Independent / C Ingram