Additional £1m investment from Mayor of London helps thousands of women across the capital affected by violence and domestic abuse

• On International Women’s Day, new figures reveal Mayor’s £1m cost-of-living fund has helped thousands of women and girls flee domestic violence and abuse
• 44 specialist support services across the capital received funding, helping almost 6,000 women and girls to seek support and safety
• Sadiq has overseen more than £163m investment in tackling of violence against women and girls and continues to call for an end to this global epidemic

This International Women’s Day, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has urged everyone to play their part in ending the global epidemic of violence against women and girls, as he announced that his £1million cost-of-living fund has helped almost 6,000 women and children to access the assistance they and their families need to seek safety.

The Mayor launched his £1million cost-of-living fund last year to provide support to specialist services across the capital after they reported that women and girls were finding it increasingly difficult to safely flee domestic abuse and violence due to the disproportionate impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

The fund is helping 44 services to ensure thousands of women and children can gain access to financial assistance to help them rebuild their lives after experiencing violence and abuse.

Many support services across the capital have been reporting concerns of the impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on vulnerable women and girls. Many are unable to pay for necessities, pay bills and access childcare; and, less able to afford travel to attend appointments, or access technology such as smartphones or a computer. There were also increasing reports of victims telling their support workers that they were unable to afford to leave an abusive relationship or household as they do not have the means to be able to do so. This has resulted in perpetrators using financial hardship as a tool of coercive control, for example restricting a victim’s access to money.

As a result of the Mayor’s funding, organisations have been able to increase their capacity to support vulnerable woman and girls, reach more survivors and address the needs of specific communities such as women with no recourse to public funds, build partnerships with other organisations and local authorities and secure additional funding to bolster their services.

Sadiq’s VAWG cost-of-living fund is just one of a raft of measures he has introduced to help address the epidemic of violence against women and girls, and make the capital a safer place. Since 2016, he has overseen more than £163m investment in tackling violence against women and girls. This funding is working to save lives, address waiting lists and keep doors open for vital specialist support services during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. It is helping make venues, transport and public spaces in the capital safer for women at night.

The Mayor’s VAWG strategy, launched in February 2023, places a stronger emphasis on partnership working, prevention and education across a wide range of services in London. The refreshed strategy focuses on targeting the behaviour of those who perpetrate abuse. This builds on the recognition that violence against women and girls often starts with words, and that we all have a responsibility to challenge the behaviour that can lead to violence and women feeling unsafe.

Working closely with London’s Night Czar, Sadiq has also ensured that more than 2,100 venues, organisations and businesses have now signed up to his Women’s Night Safety Charter – including all Premier League Football clubs in London and high street giants Boots and Tesco. The Charter helps businesses and organisation to make their venues safer, more welcoming and help tackle violence against women and girls.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “On International Women’s Day we must all commit to ending this global epidemic of violence against women and girls for good. It is simply not right that so many women are facing violence and abuse on a daily basis, and it has to stop. I’m committed to doing all I can to support women and girls in the capital, and that’s why I took the necessary step of creating this £1m fund as part of my record investment in tackling violence against women and girls. I am pleased that this vital funding has helped so many women struggling because of the cost-of-living, but we urgently need the Government to follow City Hall’s lead and step up and properly fund long-term programmes to prevent abuse from happening in the first place. We must all do everything possible to ensure that ending violence against women and girls is treated with the utmost urgency both by our police, partners and society as a whole, as we build a safer London for all.”

Helena Croft MBE, StreetlightUK CEO, said: “The increased pressures due to the cost of living, have been starkly evident to our frontline staff, who provide late-night outreach to our service users. Having seen a growing number of women made homeless and turning to prostitution, the impact of this grant has been significant. It has enabled us to increase the essential provision of care packs, which include basic food and clothing, dramatically improving women’s physical health and access to vital services. We are extremely grateful for this crisis support from the Mayor’s office.”

Waheeda Islam, Nour DV CEO, said: “In response to the impact of austerity measures and the cost-of-living crisis on our clients, we set up our Nour Safe Haven Fund for hardship grants. However, funds were limited and clients' needs were immense; clients were struggling with utility bills, money for basic necessities such as food and clothing, financial abuse that left them with debts, all exacerbated by benefit caps and high rent in London. The MOPAC VAWG Cost of Living grant enabled us to reach more beneficiaries across London and provide a supportive programme of not only financial assistance, but also emotional and psychological support, and the financial wellbeing information needed to help them cope and find ways forward.”