Calls to Sikh domestic abuse group more than double in pandemic

West Midlands Police said reports of domestic abuse had risen 38% in a year

Calls by Sikh women seeking help from abusive relationships have more than doubled over lockdown, a charity said.

The Sikh Women's Action Network (SWAN), based in the West Midlands, said domestic abuse was often "brushed under the carpet" by the wider community.

Campaigners said more needed to be done to help Sikh survivors of domestic abuse.

Calls during lockdown were up by 244%, with almost 60 families helped over the past year, SWAN said.

The organisation was formed in 2014 by a group of Sikh women who felt many issues including domestic violence, child sexual exploitation and alcohol abuse were being ignored in the community.

It cites forced marriage as a particular problem, with women often becoming totally isolated and losing their friends and family when they move to live with their husband.

In the first three quarters of 2019, the charity had helped 24 families around the UK, but, during the same period in 2020, it had helped 58 families.

SWAN said arranged marriages could leave women isolated from their friends and family

Among those seeking help has been Simran*, who came to the UK from India when she was 24 after an arranged married to someone 10 years older.

The mother-of-two had no immediate family in this country. She suffered five years of abuse at the hands of her husband who beat and raped her after drinking excessively.

"I didn't know about support services but thought that the only place I could get help was the police.

"Every time I told them, they'd let him go and he'd come back home, and his beatings and anger would get worse."

Unable able to speak English, controlled and isolated, Simran said she had no way to escape.

Cases of domestic abuse have soared across the UK in the last year, charities have said

She ended up being referred to SWAN after she was beaten up so badly she ended up in hospital and then a refuge.

"They reported what had happened to the police, and found me somewhere to live, claim benefits so I had money to live."

Simran is now in the process of divorcing her husband.

Co-founder and executive director Narinder Kaur Kooner said: "Cases have risen so sharply because during the lockdown, many of the perpetrators have used victims as their human stress ball to take their anger out on them."

She said in many cases victims had "reached out for help as soon as they could".

Escaping domestic abuse is specifically listed by government as one of a handful of "reasonable excuses" for leaving home during the latest lockdown.

Cases of domestic abuse across the UK have soared in the last year, according to charities.

On Wednesday, West Midlands Police said reports of domestic abuse had risen 38% in a year and Chief Constable Dave Thompson said cases now accounted for about a fifth of all work taken on by his officers.

However, he said a huge backlog in court cases was proving "tremendously challenging" for victims.

Escaping domestic abuse is specifically listed as a reason for leaving home during the latest lockdown

SWAN has received more than £100,000 in funding since 2018 through a number of grants, the organisation said.

But Ms Kooner said she had concerns about the support the charity would be able to offer in future, as funding from West Midlands Police had been cut.

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A spokesperson for the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner said it was due to a lack of government funding.

"This inevitably means that difficult decisions have to be made when it comes to allocating that funding," they said.

"We provide a large amount of funding to organisations providing specialist help to victims of domestic abuse and will continue to do so."

SWAN is hopeful it will be able to secure funding through another source.

In the Budget earlier this month, the government announced an extra £19m for domestic abuse schemes in England and Wales over the next two years, in addition to £125m allocated in February.

However, charities said a £200m "shortfall" remained in funding domestic abuse services.

*Names have been changed to protect the survivor's identity.

If you are affected by domestic abuse, there is a range of support services available via the visit the BBC Action Line pages.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by domestic abuse or violence, visit BBC Action Line for organisations that may be able to help.