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Domestic Abuse Bill

 

Two women a week die at the hands of their partners or ex-partners, and one in five children experience domestic abuse growing up. These victims face a postcode lottery in accessing life-saving support which the Domestic Abuse Bill must urgently address.

Our influencing on the Bill:

 

Post-separation abuse amendment

SafeLives also supports amendments promoted by our sector colleagues including Surviving Economic Abuse who are calling for the Government to recognise post-separation coercive and controlling abuse as a crime.

 

Perpetrator Quality Assurance amendment

SafeLives backs Respect's amendment to ensure that perpetrator interventions, which can be issued by a judge through a DAPO (Domestic Abuse Prevention Orders), to meet a safe minimum standard. 

See also Lis Bates and Marianne Hester's 2020 paper 'No longer a civil matter? The design and use of protection orders for domestic violence in England and Wales, Journal of Social Welfare and Family Lawin which victims express they want civil-issued Non-Molestation Orders (NMOs), and for the police to enforce breaches of those orders. It also recommends reviewing how victims’ wishes are taken into account in applications for DAPOs, and careful monitoring of the reasons courts reject applications for the new orders or the reasons that prevent victims applying. 

 

Screening for acquired brain injury in domestic abuse cases

SafeLives supports the Disabilities Trust call for non-statutory guidance around assessing domestic abuse survivors for brain injuries and providing them with specialist support if injury is identified. 

 

Joint submission to the Domestic Abuse Bill Committee: A Fair System Urgently Needed for All 

This submission pulls together views from organisations like Amnesty, EVAW, Imkaan and Southall Black Sisters to ensure that the Domestic Abuse Bill provides protection for migrant women. 

We also produced a briefing on the particular issues faced by LGBT+ victims of domestic abuse in partnership with Galop and Stonewall. 

SafeLives coordinated a letter from 6 Royal Colleges and additional specialist domestic abuse organisations to Matt Hancock calling for a greater role for health in the Domestic Abuse Bill. We need to open more avenues for survivors to access care, and with only one in five victims call the Police, it is vital that victims can access a non-criminal route to effective support. 

 

You can find further Domestic Abuse Bill briefings and resources here and find out more about our #Invest2EndAbuse campaign.