Today I have a guest post written by Gina Kay Daniel about a very important subject matter.

In the UK, it’s thought that 13 million women experience domestic abuse at home every year. And, for every three cases of domestic abuse, two will be women, and one will be male. On top of this, the number keeps rising on average per year. Something needs to be done about the rate of Domestic Abuse cases here in the UK, whether that means we introduce classes in school, or we introduce longer sentences for those convicted of the crime. In the mean time, those who are victims of Domestic Abuse are not made aware enough of the compensation that they can claim from the UK Government.

The CICA UK Government Scheme was put in place in 1996 as a way to combat compensation for those who fall victim of abuse. And, although Domestic Abuse is covered under the CICA UK act, so is nearly every form of abuse you could fall under by UK law. As well as this, more than 400 injuries and scenarios are covered under the act, including psychological damage inflicted, vision injuries and nerve damage. If you are a victim of terrorism here in the UK, you van also claim compensation from the CICA UK act. The way payment is made with CICA is based on a tier system, organized to pay victims of abuse based on their claim, injuries and how long their abuse has taken place. Obviously, those involved in terrorist incidents can also claim with CICA, and will be compensated according to their injuries and involvement in the incident.

You can claim from CICA UK in a number of ways. Firstly, you must ensure that you are eligible. You are eligible if you are a British Citizen, if you are a close relative of a British Citizen, or if you are a national of a member state in the EU. It’s unsure if this will change once the UK leaves the EU, however, the government website for the CICA scheme reflects any changes made to the legislation if and when it occurs. You can also claim from the CICA scheme in different circumstances, which can be found on the government website under “eligibility”.

Once you have found that you are eligible, you can put in your application for a claim. Now, you can claim directly from the UK government CICA website. Or, you can claim through advocates such as CICA UK, who are a team of solicitors who can claim on your behalf. Although you don’t need to claim through a solicitor, it is one way to move on from your abuse without having to deal with your compensation directly.  Some find this easier than claiming directly, as it ensures someone will work on your behalf to secure your compensation for you, which in turn allows you to move on from your ordeal