Grassroots groups tackling misogynistic violence get Mayoral support
Sadiq Khan has announced a £3 million investment in his Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Grassroots Fund to deliver tailored support for thousands of women and girls affected by violence and exploitation in London. The targeted funding will build on the success of the initial £3m MOPAC VAWG Grassroots Fund which supported 41 organisations and over 30,000 women, girls and families from minoritised communities, between 2021 and 2023.
The renewed action to help women and girls from underrepresented communities comes amid warnings from charities that the ongoing cost-of-living crisis makes it more difficult for survivors of domestic abuse to rebuild their lives, forcing them into debt and, in some cases, to stay with their abusers.
The Mayor’s Grassroots Fund will work to ensure the most vulnerable women and girls have access to the specialist help they need and deserve where they are. All 36 grassroots organisations receiving investment from the Mayor’s fund are rooted in, and led by, the communities that they serve and will work locally to provide access to legal advice, counselling, emergency housing and other key services.
The investment is part of the Mayor’s dedicated action to support local community organisations working with women and girls from Black, Asian and minority-ethnic communities and other underrepresented groups, including women involved in prostitution, those with No Recourse to Public Funds and women with disabilities.
The Mayor’s Grassroots VAWG fund is part of the record £233m investment he has overseen to tackle violence against women and girls, address waiting lists and keep doors open for vital specialist support services for victims and survivors during the cost-of-living crisis.
“I am determined to ensure that ending violence against women and girls is treated with the utmost urgency by our police and society as a whole,” The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said. “Local grassroots services know their communities and are best placed to help, but we know the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is having an unprecedented impact on women and children experiencing violence and abuse and the life-saving services they need.
