A NEW campaign, launched today, is highlighting systemic failures that leave black, minorities and migrant (BMM) women who experience abuse without protection or justice.

Titled Invisible Women, the project is demanding reform across policing, domestic abuse-related death reviews, inquests and support services. 

Government statistics show that more than nine in 10 female homicide victims were killed by a man.

BMM women are disproportionately affected, accounting for all but two of the women killed by a man in London in 2023.

The campaign, led by Killed Women and Southall Black Sisters, released a report alongside its launch.

Interviews with bereaved families exposed failures from the police to act on perpetrators’ known histories.

In one case, sisters were subjected to honour-based abuse by family members. Despite reports across the system from childhood, the police failed to intervene, leading to the tragic loss of one of the sisters.

Families described deep frustration at having to chase the police, even after a death, just to have cases treated seriously.

One family reported that officers neglected to interview potential witnesses, preserve the crime scene or examine electronic evidence. 

“They didn’t want to follow up the case properly or follow the leads. There was so much evidence they could have had,” they said.

Families challenged the discriminatory nature of a system that is meant to help victims and their loved ones.

One family member said: “The agencies so many of us hope to be saved by, aren’t working in that mode. 

“They don’t see a lot of women, especially, I think, of black and Asian minority backgrounds, as figures who are abused in the same way as their white counterparts. 

“It’s almost as if [they’re saying], this is your culture, it’s your religion. I’m like, no, this isn’t our culture, it’s nothing to do with our religion. This is just a violent male, using anything he can to abuse another woman.”

Dr Hannana Siddiqui, who co-authored the report, said: “Racism, misogyny and community and state failures cost lives. 

“Invisible Women demands urgent action to change cultural and religious norms which justify murder in the name of ‘honour’ and legal and policy reforms to end discrimination against BMM women to prevent femicide. 

“Migrant women must have both status and support to escape abuse, and BMM women need specialist ‘by and for’ services and culturally appropriate responses so that such tragedies never happen again.”

Supporting the campaign, former Spice Girl Melanie Brown said: “This important campaign challenges racism and discrimination in policing and policy. 

“We know it happens and it is up to us all to take action and call for much-needed changes.”