No Recourse, No Support: State Policy and Practice towards South Asian Women Facing Domestic Violence in the UK1

This paper examines the extent to which government policy and practice meet the needs of women with insecure immigration status who are experiencing domestic violence. The research on which this paper is based was conducted between January and June 2007 and included qualitative interviews with thirty South Asian women who were barred from receiving public funds (known as 'no recourse to public funds' (NRPF)) due to their status as recent marriage migrants, who were living in the North West and Yorkshire regions of England. This paper examines the complex legislation that governs the entitlement of women with NRPF who are facing domestic violence, women's experiences of social service practice, its impact on the safety and welfare of the women and their children, and suggests a way forward.