Asian abuse victims 'being failed'

A new report for the children's charity uncovered cases where social services, police, teachers and health workers felt unqualified to deal with South Asian victims.

Sometimes they took the wrong action - or even no action - on the grounds of respecting other cultures, it found. Concerns were also raised about lack of intervention in cases of young adolescents being forced into marriage.

The NSPCC's Asian helpline manager, Saleha Islam, said: "Asian children and their mothers suffer the double injustice of a community that would rather save face than deal with domestic violence and a system that lacks cultural understanding so hides behind political correctness."

The charity called for better training and support for professionals to help them avoid misunderstandings when working with Asian victims.

Social care professionals reported that some Asian perpetrators of domestic abuse used their culture and religion to justify their actions and control their victims. There were also cases where women and children were subjected to further violence by their extended family, particularly in-laws.

The report found Asians were brought up to believe that their family's public image was more important than individual safety and that family problems should be kept secret. The NSPCC noted that this made leaving an abusive family situation or getting help more difficult.

Diana Sutton, the charity's head of policy and public affairs, said the needs and rights of Asian children were too often being ignored. "Research cited in the report revealed that Asian women and children worry about racism and stereotyping by the authorities and are more likely to use services which are especially for Asians," she said.

"We want to see the Government train and support professionals working with Asian victims of domestic violence so they can handle cultural sensitivities better. The Government must also work with community leaders to find ways of lifting the stigma around domestic violence."

The NSPCC is also calling on the Government to recruit more Asians to work with victims of domestic violence and to fund refuges for Asian children and their mothers.