The petition Created by Ngozi Fulani of Sistah Space to mandate specialist, culturally appropriate training for all police and other government agencies that support black women and girls affected by domestic abuse is 40,000 signatures short of its 100,000 target by the October 30th deadline (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/578416). The campaign is supported by Valerie Forde’s daughters and has produced a video that has garnered support from the likes of actor and writer Michaela Coel, singer FKA twigs and the Women’s Equality party (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuDZOTrlUAY&t=34s). At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament. Called Valerie’s Law, in memory of Sis. Valerie Forde, who along with her 22-month-old baby was brutally murdered by ex-partner Roland McKoy, after his threat of violence was reported to the police but carelessly recorded by them as a threat to property. Even on the day of the murder, it took the police forty minutes to enter the premises after the 999 call, upon which they encountered the macabre scene. (1)
Yet, thus far the government remains unfazed, stating in July 2021 that their new Domestic Abuse Act “is a game-changer” and that consequently “training on domestic abuse should include recognising the specific needs of victims due to their ethnicity or cultural background.” They further claim that a raft of funding measures totalling hundreds of millions of pounds will go towards victim and witness support services including for “minority or marginalised groups” that they categorise “BAME, LGBTQ+, disabled, or migrants.” (2)
The scale of the issue is highlighted by Sistah Space, a charitable organisation that works with Afrikan women and girls who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing domestic violence. Although 86% of Afrikan women in the UK have either been a victim of domestic abuse or know a family member who has been assaulted, only 57% said they would report the abuse to the police, partly due to concerns about community backlash. (3) However, as a result of specialist training from the Sistah Space team some agencies, including police stations and hospitals, have already started to adopt Cultural Competency as part of their standard procedures. Under Valerie’s Law a full roll out of this would save the lives of thousands of black women escaping domestic violence. (4)
The push for Valerie’s Law comes at a time when the police are said to be keen to re-build trust with the public in the wake of the Sarah Everard case (5), although trust in the ‘British Bobby’, was never really a luxury (or illusion) that the Afrikan community could afford. (6) Moreover, it’s worth remembering that this is a government that believes that “discrimination against black people [is] objectively justified.” (7) A pessimist might add that given the state’s intransigence to applying “lessons learned” from scores of deaths in custody cases, does not bode well for a future implementation of Valerie’s Law. (8)
Yet, in recent times Sistah Space has recorded a 400% rise in calls so it is clear that urgent action is needed, from all stakeholders – certainly the willing but also by the reluctant, lives are at stake. (9)
(1) Sistah Space (2021) Her Story. https://www.sistahspace.org/valerieslaw; Evie Muir (31/08/21) What is Valerie’s Law and Why is it Important? https://restlessnetwork.com/what-is-valeries-law-and-why-is-it-important/; Lucy Devine (24/05/21) Domestic Abuse Campaigners Petition For Valerie’s Law For Black Women With ‘Undetectable’ Bruises. https://www.tyla.com/news/news-domestic-abuse-campaigners-petition-valeries-law-black-women-bruises-20210524
(2) Home Office (06/07/21) VALERIE’S LAW Compulsory Training for Agencies Supporting Black DV Victims – Government Response. https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/petitions/578416/valeries-law-compulsory-training-for-agencies-supporting-black-dv-victims#gov_response
(3) Hannah Summers (15/09/21) Police urged to better protect black women who face domestic abuse. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/15/police-urged-to-better-protect-black-women-who-face-domestic-abuse; Muir. Op. cit
(4) Sistah Space. Op. cit.
(5) Beth Mann (06/10/21) More Britons now unconfident than confident in the police to deal with crime locally. https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/10/06/more-britons-now-unconfident-confident-police-deal; Hannah Fearn (18/10/21) Metropolitan Police handed officer personal details of woman who complained about him. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/metropolitan-police-woman-arrest-address-b1940128.html?fbclid=IwAR2b8M4pHAG8DMkOfsUma1sZa0l2eB6trxZnWCJA0LmTJBwu5Xgsj9Fk49I
(6) Maya Oppenheim (29/11/21) Black community’s trust in police is worse than it’s been in decades, says ex Met Police superintendent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-black-community-trust-leroy-logan-b1763482.html.
(7) Lizzie Dearden (13/09/21) Government says discrimination against black people and Travellers ‘objectively justified’ with new laws. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/policing-bill-discrimination-black-travellers-b1919272.html.
(8) Deborah Coles (31/03/21) Deaths in detention: Why aren’t we learning lessons from UK deaths in police custody? https://lacuna.org.uk/black-lives-matter/deaths-in-detention-why-arent-we-learning-lessons-from-uk-deaths-in-police-custody/
(9) Summers. Op. cit.
we ask the question:
Making History Pt. 4: Can we make “VALERIE’S LAW” a reality?
1) When will you be signing the petition, if you haven’t done so already?
2) Given that the government have already responded, will 100,000 (or more) signatures change their mind?
3) Is the new Domestic Abuse Act really “a game-changer”?
4) Has any announced government funding gone Afrikan services or is stuck in the “BAME, LGBTQ+, disabled, migrant” pot?
5) If Valerie’s Law is adopted will state agencies effectively apply it?
6) Why has there been a 400% rise in Domestic Violence calls and what can we do about it?
Our special Guests:
Sis. Ngozi Fulani (CEO, IDVA, ISVA): is the founder member of Sistah Space & is the senior member of staff in charge of day to day running. Ngozi qualified as an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) & an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA). Ngozi handles all the case studies and one-to-one surgeries.
Sis. Rosanna Lewis: Chief Volunteer at Sistah Space
About Sistah Space: Moved by the brutal murder of Valerie Forde and 22-month-old- baby in 2014, Sistah Space was founded by Sis. Ngozi Fulani in 2015. The organisation works with African heritage women & girls who’ve experienced domestic or sexual abuse or who have lost a loved one to domestic violence. Their specialised service seeks to assist those who are apprehensive about going to mainstream services without support, such as the police and other statutory services. They provide advice and support as well as practical help by providing hygiene products such as sanitary pads, panties, bras, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps and other essential items (much of which have been donated by the local community). The mission of Sistah Space is to encourage African heritage survivors/victims to report abuse by providing a safe cultural venue for victims to disclose abuse in a confidential environment, and to encourage community integration. https://www.sistahspace.org/