Lead organisations supporting black and minority ethnic survivors of domestic abuse have urged Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn to take the chance to effect “systemic” changes to protect women from domestic violence after the general election.

Imkaan, an umbrella organisation dedicated to addressing violence against black and minority ethnic (BME) women, was involved in penning an open letter to the prime minister and the leader of the opposition.

The organisation, which comprises more than 40 service providers, noted BME survivors are currently subjected to a postcode lottery of “patchy and inconsistent” support provision contingent on where they are living.

The open letter sets out six steps the Labour and Conservative leaders would need to take to address the funding crisis engulfing the sector, and protect women who are subjected to sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

These range from introducing ring-fenced funding for specialist BME organisations tackling violence against women and girls to ending data-sharing between the Home Office and public services such as police and the NHS to guarantee safe pathways for women to seek help.

Inside a Women's Refuge Show all 34 1 /34 Inside a Women's Refuge Inside a Women's Refuge A resident at the refuge looks out into the garden and children's outdoor play area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Mothers try to make the rooms as homely as possible for their children Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A mother who is visiting her two daughters who are residents at the refuge after fleeing from domestic violence Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Children's books inside the play area of the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The messages on the butterflies are written by women who have stayed at Reigate and Banstead Women's Aid (RBWA) Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Residents at the refuge support and empower each other Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Charlotte Kneer, a survivor of domestic abuse and CEO of RBWA Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Women send a message to future residents Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children who live at the refuge have great fun doing arts and crafts Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge This photograph was taken by one of the children living at the refuge who loved experimenting with the camera Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge 'Living with the Dominator' by Pat Craven is a book about the Freedom Programme. It has been designed to help women affected by domestic abuse Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A woman sits inside the smoking area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Dolls on the windowsill in the children's indoor play room Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Having a refuge space can be life-saving for many women and their children Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Over time, women in the refuge make friends and feel more at home Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Inside one of the bedrooms. Women can stay at the refuge for up to six months Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The kitchen is a communal area were women cook and prepare meals Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Charlotte Kneer, CEO of RBWA, in her office Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Messages are seen on colourful butterfly cut-outs Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A children's indoor play area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A picture painted by an ex-resident Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children spend time in the large garden and playground area Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Paintings by ex-residents Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Inside one of the bedrooms at the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge These butterflies were made by the children at the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The refuge offers clean furnished rooms Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge Women want to pass on an encouraging message on to future residents of the refuge Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A staircase leading up to the rooms Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A picture painted by an ex-resident Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge A highchair inside the main living room Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge In an outdoor area, one of the rooms is used for counselling and group meetings Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge RBWA provides safe refuge, support and advice for women and children who have experienced domestic violence Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The refuge has a large garden with playground equipment Angela Christofilou Inside a Women's Refuge The children love spending time in the outdoor play area Angela Christofilou

Campaigners are also calling for the government to address the “equality impact” of Brexit and boost people’s ability to access justice by restoring legal aid.

Leah Cowan, Imkaan's policy and communications coordinator, said: “We urgently need systemic, lasting solutions to violence against women and girls. Both party leaders have made public commitments to addressing gender-based violence, and organisations from across the sector have signed these open letters to urge Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson that we are expecting their rhetoric to be transformed into practical action.

“Fifty per cent of BME refuges have had their funding slashed in the past ten years, and we know that across the board public funding cuts have devastated our sector, forcing lifesaving services to close their doors.

“In conjunction with a hostile environment which has sought to make life in this country untenable for migrant communities, BME and migrant survivors are frequently forced to choose between remaining in a violent situation, or accessing a public service which might trigger immigration enforcement action to be taken against them and their families. This is unacceptable.”

Ms Cowan hit out at this “genuine and deepening systemic inequality” – adding that the domestic abuse bill which was put forward under the previous government was “woefully inadequate” due to overlooking the needs of BME and migrant survivors of abuse.

The campaigner noted migrant abuse survivors can be detained or deported if they come forward to a public agency to report abuse – saying people across public services are being turned into “de facto border guards”.

Mr Corbyn made a speech at a BME women’s conference in 2015 where he committed to ringfencing funding for BME services but this has not been included in the Labour Party manifesto, Ms Cowan added.

She said she hoped the party would follow up on the offer and they would be pushing for them to do so.

Those in need of a refuge are finding it more difficult than ever to find an available bed, with the most recent figures showing 60 per cent of them are unable to. Local authority spending on refuges has been cut from £31.2m in 2010 to £23.9m in 2017 – with several refuges forced to shut in the last nine years.

Specialist services for BME survivors have been hardest hit by the cuts – with funding moving towards generic service providers instead.

Other measures outlined in the open letter include a violence against women and girls bill which prioritises BME and migrant survivors – as well as bringing in a statutory obligation to adhere to the Public Sector Equality Duty.