Every year, three million women in Great Britain suffer some form of violence such as rape, domestic violence or sexual harassment. In January 2009 the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the End Violence Against Women coalition published a report entitled ‘Map of Gaps’ which found that over a quarter of local authorities offer no specialised service to these women.

Every woman and girl who has suffered violence has the right to specialised support to enable them to rebuild their lives. It is unacceptable that in 2009 many women in Great Britain still have no specialised support and that others must travel long distances to find it. We are calling on local and national governments to work together to make sure all women in all parts of Great Britain have equal access to specialised support services – helplines, rape crisis centres, refuges and domestic violence outreach projects.

Amnesty Society President Rachel Brand said that ‘Amnesty International have long been campaigning for an end to violence against women and part of this is to ensure that those who do suffer should have access to specialist services wherever she lives. It is not right that access to crucial support is determined by your postcode’. The group plan to collect as many signatures as possible on a petition calling for these changes to send to the British government.