Recognising coercive control in counter-allegations: VAWG organisations call for reform in UKVI assessments

Project Resist and Rights of Women brought together VAWG organisations to examine how UKVI’s handling of counter-allegations is negatively impacting migrant women victim-survivors of domestic abuse applying for settlement. A briefing was produced outlining concerns and recommendations for change.

Earlier, this year, the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector came together to discuss its concerns with the Home Office (UKVI) approach to assessing domestic abuse in immigration cases involving counter-allegations.

Counter- allegations in the context of domestic abuse including coercive control arise when both parties of the relationship allege the other has been abusive. Counter-allegations can be falsely made by perpetrators to deflect responsibility or further their abuse. They can also arise when victims engage in defensive or protective behaviours in response to their abuse.

Coordinated by Project Resist and Rights of Women, VAWG sector organisations met to discuss how this issue was affecting migrant victims of domestic abuse applying to the Home Office (UKVI) for settlement. We produced a briefing addressing our concerns with how the Home Office (UKVI) currently deals with these issues, and made recommendations for change which you can read here: VAWG-sector-briefing-on-counter-allegations-02.04.25.pdf

Project Resist’s work on UKVI assessments of counter-allegations in the immigration system forms part of our wider work on counter-allegations in contexts of domestic abuse and coercive control and the criminalisation of women in the criminal justice system.