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| Action urged over abuse of women | Action urged over abuse of women |
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| The government is not doing enough to tackle the problems of violence against women in the UK, a coalition of charities has warned. | The government is not doing enough to tackle the problems of violence against women in the UK, a coalition of charities has warned. |
| A report by the End Violence Against Women Campaign said government work to combat the problem was "patchy" and suffered from a lack of resources. | A report by the End Violence Against Women Campaign said government work to combat the problem was "patchy" and suffered from a lack of resources. |
| It added women who needed support faced a "postcode lottery" over services. | It added women who needed support faced a "postcode lottery" over services. |
| Women's Minister Meg Munn said the report failed to acknowledge "real progress" made by the government. | Women's Minister Meg Munn said the report failed to acknowledge "real progress" made by the government. |
| The report comes at the same time as a separate one which criticises the government for failing to provide homeless women with the help they need. | The report comes at the same time as a separate one which criticises the government for failing to provide homeless women with the help they need. |
| A survey of 160 single homeless women in England by the charity Crisis found more than 20% had become homeless in their attempts to escape domestic violence. | |
| 'Two out of 10' | 'Two out of 10' |
| The report by the End Violence Against Women Campaign - led by Amnesty - says violence against women includes domestic violence, forced marriage, crimes in the name of honour, rape and sexual assault, trafficking, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment and stalking. | The report by the End Violence Against Women Campaign - led by Amnesty - says violence against women includes domestic violence, forced marriage, crimes in the name of honour, rape and sexual assault, trafficking, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment and stalking. |
| In rating its success at tackling these problems, it gave the government an overall score of two out of 10 - last year it awarded the government just one. | In rating its success at tackling these problems, it gave the government an overall score of two out of 10 - last year it awarded the government just one. |
| There are many women who are living with the legacies of abuse and cannot get help Professor Liz Kelly Homeless women 'failed' | There are many women who are living with the legacies of abuse and cannot get help Professor Liz Kelly Homeless women 'failed' |
| The campaign said a lack of strategy and co-operation across departments was undermining the good work being done in some areas. | The campaign said a lack of strategy and co-operation across departments was undermining the good work being done in some areas. |
| It added a failure to develop policies and provide resources for forms of violence beyond domestic violence, such as rape and forced marriage, was also hindering progress. | It added a failure to develop policies and provide resources for forms of violence beyond domestic violence, such as rape and forced marriage, was also hindering progress. |
| Funding and a lack of services are also highlighted as major problems, with the report noting that since 1984 the number of women-only rape crisis centres in England and Wales has more than halved - from 68 to 32. | Funding and a lack of services are also highlighted as major problems, with the report noting that since 1984 the number of women-only rape crisis centres in England and Wales has more than halved - from 68 to 32. |
| 'Mopping up' | 'Mopping up' |
| Campaign chairwoman Professor Liz Kelly said: "There are many women who are living with the legacies of abuse and cannot get help following a sexual assault because there are no services in their area." | Campaign chairwoman Professor Liz Kelly said: "There are many women who are living with the legacies of abuse and cannot get help following a sexual assault because there are no services in their area." |
| She called for more preventative policies, rather than an approach of "mopping up the problem once it has occurred". | She called for more preventative policies, rather than an approach of "mopping up the problem once it has occurred". |
| The processes we have in place are working - the progress we see on the ground speaks for itself Women's Minister Meg Munn | The processes we have in place are working - the progress we see on the ground speaks for itself Women's Minister Meg Munn |
| Ms Munn said the government had been making progress and cited a number of initiatives. | Ms Munn said the government had been making progress and cited a number of initiatives. |
| "These include creating a further 28 specialist domestic violence courts to bring more offenders to justice, opening the first UK Human Trafficking Centre in Europe and providing £2m for advisers to help women through the justice process," she said. | "These include creating a further 28 specialist domestic violence courts to bring more offenders to justice, opening the first UK Human Trafficking Centre in Europe and providing £2m for advisers to help women through the justice process," she said. |
| She said they also included "building or refurbishing 511 refuge bed spaces for women, introducing a new performance target for local authorities on domestic violence and working with local authorities to set up a further 165 sanctuary schemes in the coming year to enable victims of domestic violence to stay in their own homes." | She said they also included "building or refurbishing 511 refuge bed spaces for women, introducing a new performance target for local authorities on domestic violence and working with local authorities to set up a further 165 sanctuary schemes in the coming year to enable victims of domestic violence to stay in their own homes." |
| She said: "We will keep delivering across government in the year to come, in particular publishing strategies on human trafficking, sexual violence and forced marriages. | She said: "We will keep delivering across government in the year to come, in particular publishing strategies on human trafficking, sexual violence and forced marriages. |
| "The processes we have in place are working - the progress we see on the ground speaks for itself." | "The processes we have in place are working - the progress we see on the ground speaks for itself." |