Sunderland domestic abuse support charity welcomes proposed "safe leave" law
There are calls to allow domestic abuse victims to access "safe leave" at work
There are calls to give "safe leave" to people experiencing domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse victims would have access to paid time off work to help them stay safe under a proposed law to be tabled in Parliament.
People experiencing domestic abuse would be allowed several days of "safe leave" to assist them in addressing issues related to the abuse, including finding a place of safety, dealing with health issues and attending police interviews.
Labour MP Alex McIntyre will seek to introduce the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill to the House of Commons later today in a bid to enable it to be considered further by MPs.
His proposal suggests creating the right to 10 days' paid safe leave although this would be subject to consultation.
A Sunderland domestic abuse support charity tells us they welcome the proposed law.
Laura Seebohm, Chief Executive of WWIN specialist domestic abuse services in Sunderland, said: "This measure means that workplaces and employers, whether they're large or small, start to think about domestic abuse. They might start to address other policies and procedures more widely and learn about how they can support people in the workplace.
"People to have that space and know that it's not going to impact them financially, which is often a very big barrier to leaving and just have that space to get the support to understand what's out there for them.
"It's such a stressful time in somebody's life and what we hope is that this gives that window of opportunity to make life better, where people can live a life free from violence and abuse.
"We see this as potential real societal shift where we start to talk more openly about domestic abuse because when domestic abuse comes into something that's been part of the workplace, it means it's everyone's business.
"What we often see is that domestic abuse isn't talked about in the workplace and therefore people are really scared that they might lose their job, the one place that is a safe place for them. But the other thing I think it's important to mention is that domestic abuse can feature in the workplace. We see excessive phone calls; people being forced to be late."