Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent (a) harassment and (b) violence against (i) women and (ii) elderly people from the UK's Eritrean community.

Public sexual harassment is an appalling crime, and the Government has already taken significant action to tackle it. We have ensured that new guidance was published for police and prosecutors on existing offences, have provided £120 million through the Safer Streets and Safety of Women at Night Funds to make our streets safer, have created the new SafeStreet tool which allows people to pinpoint where they have felt unsafe and the police to take action.

The Government also supported the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023, which makes public sexual harassment a specific offence. The Act received Royal Assent on 18^th September 2023.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a government priority. It is unacceptable and preventable, and an issue which blights the lives of millions. In July 2021, we published our cross-Government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere -- at home, online, at work and on the streets.

Older people and women from the Eritrean community who are victims and survivors of VAWG have access to a range of support provided through the Government’s Domestic Abuse Plan and VAWG Strategy. This support includes:

• Over £2 million to provide specialist support to victims of VAWG from ethnic minority communities, undertaking a range of activities, including delivering training sessions and frontline professional services.
• In the 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial years, up to £361,000 and £432,000 respectively to Hourglass who support older victims of domestic abuse. This will provide enhanced helpline support with a focus on reaching marginalised communities across England and Wales.
• Up to £1.4 million annually until March 2025 to the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme, which provides wraparound support services for migrant victims of domestic abuse, including accommodation, subsistence, counselling and legal advice.