Dr. Nata Duvvury:

I thank committee members for this opportunity. It is very meaningful to be able to bring research that informs policy making. I want to end with one very important point, which is that in most economic policies of governments, violence against women is seen as a cultural and, at most, a human rights violation. It is not seen as an economic issue. In times of crisis, the first things that are cut are services for survivors of violence. Domestic violence-led policy is very important because it provides the recognition that this has economic consequences and that is it a working woman's issue, which is very important. That is the first thing to acknowledge.

Second, the policy will be ineffective if it is not connected to a fight against cutting back on resources for services. We need the wraparound services. A cost-of-living crisis is coming around the corner. There will be austerity and budget cuts, because most governments do not see that the inflation we are experiencing today is not caused by workers' wage demands. It is because of excessive profits, mark-ups and windfalls in the corporate sector. The first policy the Government will introduce is austerity, and austerity means cutting services to survivors of violence. This must be connected to the broader argument.