However, the family courts system, which plays a crucial role in tackling VAWG and protecting victims, is underfunded and ‘cannot function as it should’, Mills said. She urged the government to remember the role of the family courts as well as the criminal justice system as it finalises its plans to halve VAWG in the next decade—one of its manifesto commitments.
Some 51% of women killed by men in 2022 were killed by a current or former partner or intimate, according to the latest Femicide Census. In its report, ‘Everyday business’, in October, however, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and Loughborough University published findings that abuse is often minimised by CAFCASS officers and dismissed during judicial decision-making in child arrangement cases.
The Bar Council set out its policy recommendations for VAWG this week in a paper, ‘Tackling violence against women and girls—why family courts are key’. It suggested bringing all cases involving domestic abuse within legal aid scope for both parties, and removing means testing for alleged victims and survivors. It called on the government to fund the rollout of the Pathfinder courts and the Family Drug and Alcohol Courts, improve support for families and continue support for the domestic abuse protection orders and notices pilots.
Mills said the family court system is ‘dilapidated and understaffed... At some courts, victims and alleged perpetrators are forced to sit in the same waiting room; meetings are held in rooms where you can hear what is being discussed next door... a lack of security means lawyers and our clients are in danger… Investment is urgently needed to ensure we have accessible, survivor-centred justice focused on early intervention and prevention’.
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