Mayor of London warns that victims of domestic violence with insecure immigration status are too scared to report crime

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and London's Victims' Commissioner, Claire Waxman, said in a statement yesterday that victims of domestic violence with insecure immigration status are too frightened to report the crime and are forced to remain in abusive relationships.

Claire Waxman has been working closely with women and girls with insecure immigration status who have been directly affected by domestic abuse. She said: "I have met far too many victims trapped in violent and oppressive relationships who feel they have no way out because they can't safely access support due to fears of being detained or deported.

"Both the Mayor and I are clear that all victims of abuse must have full confidence to report crime and their abusers to ensure justice is done, no matter what their status might be. I have put forward a series of measures the government should implement immediately so that no victim ever fears having to come forward and they know they will have proper access to support and justice.

"My primary focus as London's first ever Victims' Commissioner has been to champion and defend the interests of victims, to ensure their voices are heard and I am committed to doing everything I can to help them get access to a transparent, fair and inclusive criminal justice system."

The Mayor and the Victims' Commissioner called on the Home Secretary to urgently act to protect victims of crime with insecure immigration status. They jointly called for:

• The reinstatement of legal aid for immigration cases to ensure those with insecure status can access independent advice and support;

• Victims of violence to be entitled to financial support and safe accommodation in order to leave an abusive relationship, irrespective of their immigrations status;

• Operational guidelines on how to respond to victims with insecure immigration status, including prioritising safety and support over immigration offences.

Lucilia Granada, director of the Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS), told the Independent: "We constantly see cases where the abusers use the women's insecure immigration status to control their victims. The hostile environment policies have led to this extremely dangerous situation where many victims of severe crimes are too afraid to go to the police. Their perpetrator is dangerous, but the police can be even more dangerous to them."

In response to the statement by the Mayor and the Victims' Commissioner, a spokesperson for the Home Office told the Independent that support was available to victims of domestic abuse and provisions were in place to grant victims indefinite leave to remain independently of their abusive partner.

The spokesperson added that immediate crisis assistance was available to victims under the Destitute Domestic Violence Concession.