The Domestic Abuse bill was announced in
the Queen’s Speech on 19 December 2019, following a commitment in the
Conservative Party manifesto to ’Support all victims of domestic abuse and pass
the Domestic Abuse Bill’. It gets its
Second Reading in the House of Commons today.
Although not able to speak on this today, it is something I feel very
strongly about. I am hugely supportive
of this Bill and am grateful for the amount of hard work that has gone into it
so far.
The Bill aims to ensure that victims have the
confidence to come forward and report their experiences, safe in the knowledge
that the state will do everything it can, both to support them and their
children and pursue the abuser.
What is the Bill going to do?
Raise awareness and understanding about the
devastating impact of domestic abuse on victims and their
families.
Improve the effectiveness of the
justice system in providing protection for victims of domestic abuse and
bringing perpetrators to justice
Strengthen the support for victims of abuse
by statutory agencies.
Victoria Atkins – Minister
for Safeguarding:
Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime
perpetrated on victims and their families by those who should love and care for
them. This landmark Bill will help transform the response to domestic abuse,
helping to prevent offending, protect victims and ensure they have
the support they need.
The Bill will:
Create a statutory definition of domestic
abuse, emphasising that domestic abuse is not just physical violence,
but can also be coercive or controlling, emotional, and economic
abuse.
Establish a Domestic Abuse Commissioner, to
stand up for victims and survivors, raise public awareness, monitor the
response of local authorities the justice system and other
statutory agencies and hold them to account in tackling domestic
abuse.
Provide for a new Domestic
Abuse Protection Notice and Domestic Abuse Protection Order
Place a duty on local authorities in
England to provide support to victims of domestic abuse and their children in
refuges and other safe accommodation.
Prohibit perpetrators
of abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in the family
courts in England and Wales.
Create a statutory presumption that victims
of domestic abuse are eligible for special measures in the criminal courts –
for example enabling them to give evidence via video link.
Enable domestic abuse offenders to be
subject to polygraph testing as a condition of
their licence following their release from custody.
Place the guidance supporting the Domestic
Violence Disclosure Scheme ‘Clare’s law’ on a statutory
footing.
Ensure that where a local authority, for
reasons connected with domestic abuse, grants a new secure tenancy to a social
tenant who had or has a secure lifetime or assured tenancy this must be a
secure lifetime tenancy.
Extend the extraterritorial jurisdiction of
the criminal courts in England and Wales, Scotland
and Northern Ireland to further violent sexual offences.
If you would like to see the full text of
the Bill see the link below:
An excellent development and very much needed, especially during and post C19.
ReplyDeleteI am sure as a supporter of this bill you were aware of the funding crisis in this sector pre C19, and how so many women could not find a place of safety simply because the charities that run these facilities are effectively 'running on empty'.
It is afetr all a false economy NOT to put adequate funding into this area.
As the CEO of Women's Aid pointed out:
Our recent research found that providing sustainable funding for specialist domestic abuse services in every community would cost the government just £393 million per year, a fraction of the £66 billion estimated cost to society of domestic abuse. The new government now has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to supporting survivors of abuse by making a clear pledge to guarantee this funding.”
Congratulations on supporting the Bill, and please press for the funding for those charities so that they can properly deliver what it promises.