Safelives welcomes the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, a landmark moment for survivors of domestic abuse and justice reform in Scotland.

Our statement on new laws tackling porn that depicts strangulation: why this change protects adult and child survivors, how normalisation harms young people, and what happens next. Includes details of our partnership with IFAS, specialist NFS training, and Take A Breath project with Changemakers.

This week’s announcements mark meaningful progress: the repeal of the presumption of parental contact in the family courts, alongside amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill that restrict parental responsibility in the most serious cases.

For years, the presumption of parental contact has put “both parents are best” ahead of children’s safety. Repealing it takes power away from domestic abuse perpetrators and puts children first.

A step forward in the journey towards a justice system that responds to the feedback of those working, experiencing and living in it.

Our response to new Ministry of Justice guidance on Idvas and Isvas, welcoming progress but calling for stronger protections and consistency.

Our response to new measures in the Victims and Courts Bill. We call for trauma-informed implementation, sustainable funding, and protections for all survivors—no matter who they are or how they identify.

In 2024, more people died by suicide following domestic abuse than were killed by a partner. If we want to save lives, we must stop joining the dots too late.

Coercive control is at the heart of domestic abuse. It’s great to see legal changes in England & Wales that recognise this, placing coercive control on par with other forms of domestic abuse.