LGBT people have “no idea” where to go for help with domestic and sexual violence, according to a recent research project.
The study by NatCen Social Research looked at LGBT people’s experience of accessing domestic and sexual violence services, ahead of legislation to end violence against women being introduced in the Welsh Assembly this month.
It found that LGBT people experiencing abuse feel that services do not cater for them, and in some cases, have been rejected when they have tried to access services.
According to the study, there appears to be a lack of awareness that domestic abuse can occur in same-sex relationships. In particular, lesbian participants felt that they were not ‘covered’ by the law, and so were hesitant to contact the police. Service providers, too, acknowledge a lack of LGBT outreach.
The study highlights that domestic abuse services tend to follow a ‘women-only’ or a ‘men-only’ model, which can be problematic for transgender people. Although refuge providers are legally bound to accept people in their recognised gender, professionals note that, in practice, it can be more difficult to find emergency shelter space for transgender people.
“We’ve come a long way in recognising LGBT people’s experiences of domestic and sexual violence, but we need to do more to ensure this knowledge is reflected in service provision,” commented Shannon Harvey, Senior Researcher at NatCen Social Research. “Domestic and sexual violence services must become more openly and proactively LGBT-friendly.”
“The Welsh Government’s commissioning of this research should be commended; it signals that the Welsh government is taking the issue seriously. The rest of the UK should follow suit,” she added.
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