I've been pursuing the following - wondering whether there's any human rights lawyers around as according to this 2011 EU Convention on VAW, there are obligations that the UK govt is failing its duty of care in - I'm unsure about the "obligation" here as the wording talks about encouraging member states to adopt - but surely this could be tested in the face of such blatant discriminatory weaponising of welfare by both sides of UK politics against women and in particular lone parents who are/have been targets of VAW. Some extracts are:
[[https://rm.coe.int/168008482e Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against
women and domestic violence]] Istanbul, 11.V.2011
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Parties condemn all forms of discrimination against women and take, without delay, the necessary legislative and other measures to prevent it, in particular by:
– embodying in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation the principle of equality between women and men and ensuring the practical realisation of this principle; 

– prohibiting discrimination against women, including through the use of sanctions, where appropriate; 

– abolishing laws and practices which discriminate against women. 

Article 5 – State obligations and due diligence
. 1 Parties shall refrain from engaging in any act of violence against women and ensure that State authorities, officials, agents, institutions and other actors acting on behalf of the State act in conformity with this obligation. 

. 2 Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, punish and provide reparation for acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention that are perpetrated by non-State actors.
Article 6 – Gender-sensitive policies

Parties shall undertake to include a gender perspective in the implementation and evaluation of the impact of the provisions of this Convention and to promote and effectively implement policies of equality between women and men and the empowerment of women. 

Chapter IV – Protection and support Article 18 – General obligations
. 1 Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to protect all victims from any further acts of violence. 

. 2 Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures, in accordance with internal law, to ensure that there are appropriate mechanisms to provide for effective co-operation between all relevant state agencies, including the judiciary, public prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, local and regional authorities as well as non-governmental organisations and other relevant organisations and entities, in protecting and supporting victims and witnesses of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention, including by referring to general and specialist support services as detailed in Articles 20 and 22 of this Convention. 

. 3 Parties shall ensure that measures taken pursuant to this chapter shall:
– be based on a gendered understanding of violence against women and domestic violence and shall focus on the human rights and safety of the victim; 

– be based on an integrated approach which takes into account the relationship between victims, perpetrators, children and their wider social environment; 

– aim at avoiding secondary victimisation; 

– aim at the empowerment and economic independence of women victims of violence; 

– allow, where appropriate, for a range of protection and support services to be located on the same premises; 

– address the specific needs of vulnerable persons, including child victims, and be made available to them. 

. 4 The provision of services shall not depend on the victim’s willingness to press charges or testify against any perpetrator. 

. 5 Parties shall take the appropriate measures to provide consular and other protection and support to their nationals and other victims entitled to such protection in accordance with their obligations under international law.


. Article 22 – Specialist support services


. 1 Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to provide or arrange for, in an adequate geographical distribution, immediate, short- and long-term specialist support services to any victim subjected to any of the acts of violence covered by the scope of this Convention. 

. 2 Parties shall provide or arrange for specialist women’s support services to all women victims of violence and their children.
Article 23 – Shelters
. 
 Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to provide for the setting-up of appropriate, easily accessible shelters in sufficient numbers to provide safe accommodation for and to reach out pro-actively to victims, especially women and their children.