Domestic abuse charities need more money - Mel B

The Spice Girls singer spoke at a World Economic Forum event in Davos

Spice Girls star Melanie Brown has urged the government to increase funding for domestic abuse charities.

The Leeds-born singer, who is a patron of Women's Aid, which works to end domestic abuse against women and children, said ministers were only allocating a "little bit of money each year" to organisations which cared for survivors.

Ms Brown, 49, has previously spoken of her experience of what she described as an abusive relationship, which she said had left her without access to money or a support network.

In September, the government announced it would ensure "calls for help are treated with the urgency needed, and victims get the specialist support they need straight away".

'Set it aside'

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ms Brown said addressing domestic abuse was "not just about talking about it".

"It is getting the funding, because the government, they just allocate a little bit of money each year, but they end up spending millions because of the police service, because of the fact that they have to have a safe house," she said.

"They end up spending so much money anyway. If they just set it aside and allocate it properly, and go to a charity with a foundation [in domestic abuse], the money goes direct to the survivor and they actually get the benefits from it."

Ms Brown said survivors would benefit from more money being given to domestic abuse charities

Ms Brown told the event: "When you've been abused, you need a different kind of care and understanding."

She added that compared with other issues such as alcoholism, "when it comes to abuse, there's nothing still".

Ms Brown has regularly called for awareness of the needs of survivors of domestic abuse, including better support through the health service and the court system.

"If I wanted to report it and deal with the justice system, I'm fighting a losing battle because the judges are not educated. I have to sit next to my perpetrator, and how am I going to feel?" Ms Brown asked.

"I'm going to be stumbling, I'm going to be sweating, I'm going to have anxiety. I never want to see this person again as long as I live."

'National mission'

According to charity Refuge, the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK, one in four women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetimes.

They said, on average, police in the UK received calls for help relating to domestic abuse every 30 seconds.

Ms Brown was appointed MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to charitable causes and vulnerable women.

The following year, while sitting alongside Sir Keir Starmer at a Women's Aid panel, she urged the Labour leader to make tackling domestic violence one of his "national missions".

The government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper recently announced plans to embed domestic abuse specialists within 999 call centres to speed up response times, while court protection orders for victims have also been strengthened.

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