A landmark Domestic Abuse Bill to tackle the issue and protect victims was laid before Parliament this week.
It includes the first statutory definition of domestic abuse, which will include economic abuse, coercive control and manipulation; prohibits the cross-examination of victims by their abusers in the family courts; establishes a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to champion victims and survivors; creates Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) to place restrictions on offenders; and gives automatic eligibility for special measures to support more victims to give evidence in the criminal courts.
A draft bill was published in January, following a public consultation that received more than 3,200 responses, and scrutinised by a joint Parliamentary committee. The government accepted the majority of the committee’s recommendations and has committed to further amendments as the bill progresses.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: ‘Domestic abuse can take many forms, from horrific physical violence to coercive behaviour that robs people of their self-esteem, their freedom and their right to feel safe in their own homes, but the immense bravery I’ve seen demonstrated by survivors is consistent throughout.’
The government also announced this week that it will ensure access to refuges for asylum seekers suffering domestic abuse and review the statutory response to migrant victims of domestic abuse.
Rights of Women (ROW), which provides free legal advice to women, said it welcomed the ban on direct cross-examination of victims but remained ‘concerned that the drafting of the provision is insufficient to fully protect women from abuse’. It called for extra safeguards to ensure DAPOs work effectively, including making sufficient resources and legal aid available to ensure victims’ views are central to decision-making, giving police rather than the victim responsibility, where appropriate, for applying for the order, and adequate monitoring of compliance with orders.
ROW, the Step Up Migrant Women coalition and other groups called for greater protection of migrant women suffering abuse, regardless of immigration status.
