London, March 29 (TIWN) UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said that domestic abuse victims were still allowed to leave their homes to seek help despite restrictions on people's movements imposed by the British government due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was reported on Sunday.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Priti Patel said current restrictions telling people to stay indoors were even harder for people whose "home is not the safe haven it should be".

She also told abusers: "You will not get away with your crimes."

It comes after police warned the new rules made victims more vulnerable.

Campaigners also warn that domestic abuse has already increased elsewhere in the world as more people at risk from abuse are forced to stay indoors with their abusers due to the pandemic.

"I am acutely aware that the necessary guidelines about social distancing and self-isolation may leave the victims of hidden crime, such as domestic abuse and child sexual abuse, feeling especially isolated, vulnerable and exposed," said Ms Patel, in her newspaper column.

"But my message to every potential victim is simple: we have not forgotten you and we will not let you down.

"And my message to every perpetrator is equally as simple: you will not get away with your crimes."