New research from anti-abuse charity Galop finds that queer victims do not have the assistance they need
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY ALEXANDER GREY
A new survey by LGBTQIA anti-abuse charity Galop, undertaken by YouGov, reveals that two in five LGBTQIA domestic abuse victims have no support from friends or family. The same survey of 2,042 LGBTQIA victims also found that three in five LGBTQIA domestic abuse victims have no help from support services.
Galop also found that 81% of LGBTQIA victims of domestic abuse lived in areas with little or no access to specialist LGBTQIA services. One survivor said: “Where I live there is hardly any support, and I would be scared of outing myself if I did get help.” Another respondent said that “non-LGBT+ services looked at me like an alien”.
Trans and non-binary victims were reported to be some of the most vulnerable members of the community to abuse as they were the least likely to receive help from family and friends. One survivor even said: “I was living with my parents at the time. They would have found a way to blame me for it, so it was easier to keep it to myself.”
Over half of respondents who lived in villages or outside of main queer cities said that they didn’t know support was even available.
Leni Morris, CEO of LGBT+ anti-abuse charity Galop, said: “LGBT+ victims of abuse and violence are being let down by the systems in this country. No victim of domestic abuse should be left without support, no matter where they live or who they are.”
“LGBT+ people exist outside of large cities, and the abuse that we face does not depend on our postcode,” Leni continued. “Yet, in many parts of the UK, there are simply no services built for the LGBT+ community. We must ensure that LGBT+ victims of abuse are able to access the support they want and need when and where they need it.”
“This report shows there is far more demand for support than there is capacity to provide it – with nine times more LGBT+ victims wanting intensive practical support than were able to get it. With such significant numbers of LGBT+ people unable to access the support they need, we are calling on the UK Government to ensure high quality specialist support services are available to LGBT+ victims of abuse, wherever they are in this country.”
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