MIGRANT WOMEN suffering domestic abuse must have access to benefits, the Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS) said today.

The charity said that migrant women who have been subjected to violence are often left without support because their immigration status blocks them from receiving benefits and accessing public services, including refuges.

The charity said that abuse victims should be exempt from this rule, and are calling on the government to lift it.

They also want to see laws and police guidelines put in place to protect migrant women from being reported to immigration services when they report their abuse.

A study published last year by LAWRS, carried out in collaboration with King’s College London, found that of 50 victims who reported their abuse to the police, 13 had their residence status questioned and four reported being arrested.

Fear of deportation was also found to prevent women from going to the police at all. Almost a quarter of women surveyed did not report their abuse to the police.

The group said that this was partly because there are no police guidelines about how to act when the victim of a crime is a migrant.

LAWRS policy co-ordinator Elizabeth Jimenez-Yanez said that police should “treat all survivors equally.”

She said: “We are calling on the national police chiefs’ council to provide clear guidance and training to police forces to safeguard migrant women's rights rather than acting as immigration officers.”

One alleged victim, Katia, who is originally from Peru, told the charity that she was arrested and spent a night in a police station as she was questioned over her immigration status.

The government is in the process of changing domestic-abuse laws, promising that it will improve protections for vulnerable people.

In response to the charity’s call, a Home Office spokeswoman said: “Domestic abuse is a devastating crime and we are bringing forward our landmark Domestic Abuse Bill at the earliest opportunity to improve protection for vulnerable people and help bring perpetrators to justice.”

She said the government was reviewing its response to migrant victims of domestic abuse, including recommendations for victims to access refuge accommodation.