Labour blasted for excluding Black and brown women

On 15 May, Hibiscus – a feminist, anti-racist, and intersectional women’s organisation – gave a searing critique of Labour’s plans to:

champion the rights of women and girls to live in a world free from violence.

Of course, the feminist group welcomed the sentiment of the statement itself. However, it pointed out the glaring hypocrisy of Labour’s agenda to end violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Namely, a great many of the policies laid out in the King’s speech on 13 May would be actively harmful to Black and minoritised migrant women.

Hibiscus stated that:

At a time when meaningful action is urgently needed, the government has once again failed to address the structural inequalities that make women vulnerable to violence in the first place. There are no concrete commitments to invest in specialist support services, no long-term funding guarantees for by and for organisations, and no serious recognition of the socio-economic and political realities facing Black and minoritised migrant women. Instead, several of the proposed bills appear either dangerously indifferent to these realities or intentionally punitive in nature.

Labour not doing enough

Hibiscus voiced particular alarm at the proposed Immigration and Asylum Bill. It includes powers to revoke refugee status in greater numbers, and places greater restrictions on support for asylum-seeking survivors.
In particular, the Hibiscus stated that proposed measures to limit Article 8 applications:

will have devastating consequences for women already living in precarity.

‘Article 8 applications’ refers to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It guarantees the right to family and private life.

The feminist group also explained that tightening immigration rules leaves migrant women open to abuse:

For migrant women experiencing abuse, immigration status is often weaponised by perpetrators as a tool of control. Policies that deepen insecurity and threaten deportation create enormous barriers to reporting violence, seeking support, or leaving abusive situations safely. These proposals are harmful and dehumanising. They reinforce a hostile environment that leaves migrant and refugee women trapped between abuse and the fear of state violence.

The justice system

On top of this, Hibiscus stated that the proposed Police Reform Bill would only serve to entrench violence against racialised communities:

Expanding policing powers, increasing surveillance, and embedding greater use of AI and intelligence gathering cannot be separated from the realities of institutional racism, misogyny and discrimination within policing and state systems. These measures will deepen mistrust and disproportionately impact racialised communities, including migrant women whose vulnerabilities are already heightened by insecure immigration status.

A police chief in charge of AI use has already acknowledged that a new national police AI data centre will produce biased and racist results. However, this hasn’t stopped police forces forging ahead with adopting the technology.

Hibiscus also highlighted Labour’s current plans to scale back jury trials in England and Wales. As the Canary has previously reported, Black and brown people will likely be disproportionately affected by this change. On that point, Hibiscus highlighted that:

Weakening access to justice risks further undermining confidence in a system that many survivors already struggle to trust. Any government serious about tackling VAWG should be strengthening legal protections and improving access to justice, not eroding them.

The inverse of the over-scrutinisation of Black and brown women when they are suspected of a crime is the corresponding lack of urgency from both police and the media when Black and brown women are potential victims.

Campaign group ‘For Black Women UK’ highlighted the cases of five Black women who were found dead in bodies of water around the UK. Edna Mmbali Ombakho, for example, was missing for 35 days before she was found. However, due to a lack of widespread coverage or awareness-raising:

Many people only learned about her disappearance after she was found.

Blessing Olusegun
Kayon Williams
Taiwo Balogun
Samaria Ayanle
Edna Mmbali Ombakho

These are just some of the Black women whose lives tragically ended after they were later found in bodies of water.

Each woman had a life, a family, and people who loved them. pic.twitter.com/mhoPtNk4W8

— For Black Women UK (@forblackwomenuk) March 16, 2026

Housing

We then move on to the field of housing, and its impacts on Black and minoritised migrant women. The Social Housing Renewal Bill ostensibly aims to help victim-survivors of domestic abuse to stay in their houses. However, as Hibiscus highlighted:

For many Black and minoritised women living within close-knit communities, remaining in the family home after leaving an abusive relationship can actually increase risk and isolation. Specialist by and for organisations have long challenged one-size-fits-all approaches to safety.

Likewise, migrant women are often excluded from vital social housing due to their immigration status. As such, Hibiscus highlighted that:

countless women remain at risk of homelessness, housing insecurity and ongoing abuse. Despite this, there is still no meaningful funding commitment to safely house migrant women experiencing violence.

Likewise, the organisation was also clear on how best to structure safe-housing initiatives:

Victim-survivors themselves are best placed to determine what safety looks like for them. Sustainable refuge funding, genuinely accessible housing options, and specialist support services remain essential.

Five key demands

For far too long, mainstream initiatives to combat VAWG have excluded Black and minoritised migrant women. That issue is compounded by policies that fail to acknowledge the ways in which: