'Less than 1%' of spaces for women fleeing domestic abuse suitable for wheelchair users
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"He threw me across the room when I was seven months pregnant. He was tracking my phone. He threatened to send indecent photos of me to my parents.". Anna (not her real name) suffered years of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband. One time she even had to jump out of a window to escape his violence.
The couple divorced and Anna continued to live with her parents but, when she refused to remarry, her father became emotionally abusive and kicked her and her two young children out of the house. Across the UK there is a shortage of refuge spaces and temporary accommodation, which makes it hard for local authorities to house families fleeing domestic abuse, particularly women like Anna who have a disability.
Data obtained by Sky News from Women's Aid shows less than 1% of refuge vacancies in the UK are suitable for wheelchair users and only 1.8% of vacancies could accommodate a woman with limited mobility. Anna has mobility issues with her leg and breathing problems, yet the only temporary accommodation provided by her local council is far from her friends, doctor, and children's school.
New Year Honours: Hundreds of unsung heroes receive recognition in latest list. 'I thought I'd been microchipped': How abusers spy on partners with 'parental control' apps. Cost of leaving abusive relationships to be investigated by Scottish parliament. "To take my kids to school there's a half hour walk on my crutch, I have to keep stopping because my breathing gets really bad, and we take four buses," she said.
