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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Aletha Adu

Mel B demands specialist support systems for domestic abuse victims at Tory conference

Former Spice Girl Mel B has called for specialist support systems and judicial reform to support domestic abuse victims as she opened up on her own experiences.

The singer hit out at the new Home Office minister insisting she was "worried" that victims had been encouraged to put a black dot on their hands at pharmacies to seek help.

She was referring to the black dot campaign that Mims Davies described as an anti-domestic abuse strategy.

The pop star, a patron of the Women's Aid charity, spoke at a fringe event at the conference in Birmingham, calling for more to be done to support survivors of domestic abuse.

She told the panel: "We need to reform everything from, lawyers, doctors, even GPS, even people in your work environment - HR," Mel B said as she called for women to have a safe place where they can go "without shame" to highlight their experience of domestic abuse.

Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown arrives at the Conservative Party annual conference (PA)

"I get fired up about this aspect because I'm still learning about it. And when you hear statistics like this, that there's 1.6 million women in England and Wales affected by domestic abue now... three women are killed every fortnight by their current partner or their ex partner."

Ms Davies told the panel: “It’s time we really push on and help women move on from this (domestic abuse)," despite the Tories being in power for more than a decade.

As she described the black dot scheme, Mel B interjected: "That's worrying. I worry about that. If the perpetrator knows that, the perpetrator will know about it.

"If you're being abused, your partner will be with you 24/7."

Acknowledging the singer's point, Ms Davies attempted to move on to describe what companies are doing to support 'victims', when Mel B lashed out: "It's not a victim. It's a survivor."

The singer told the event she was "probably the last person you would expect to find at a Tory party conference".

"I am not here because I am Mel B, Scary Spice from the Spice Girls, I am here because I am Melanie Brown MBE."

She opened up about her abusive relationship which she was in for about 10 years but "kept it a complete secret".

"I went on tour with the Spice Girls, I was a judge on America's Got Talent - voted best judge, if you can be voted the best judge on a TV show.

"I put on a smile for the cameras because that is my job and I know I am really good at it as well."

She said the abuse became worse "bit by bit", leaving her without access to money or a support network, and gradually leading her to attempt suicide.

It was only after the death of her father that she said she found the strength to leave the relationship, after seven previous attempts.

She called on the Government to do more to raise awareness of the needs of survivors of domestic abuse, including better support through the health service and the court system.

Mel B said: "Every judge I have come across looks in complete horror like, 'Well, you look put together, you look all right, what is wrong with you?"

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