In February 2018, the UK Government announced its commitment to a new, transformative approach to domestic violence. It launched a public consultation on how to prevent and tackle domestic abuse in March 2018 which ran until 31 May 2018. The Government published its response to the consultation and the draft Domestic Abuse Bill in January 2019. This page contains information and documents relating to the consultation process and draft Bill.
Sisters For Change has developed a series of briefing notes looking at some of the most important issues it believes the Domestic Abuse Bill needs to address. The briefing notes set out recommendations to Government to ensure an inclusive and effective Domestic Abuse Bill for all women, including that the Domestic Abuse Bill and the non-legislative package accompanying the Bill should:
- Recognise the gendered nature, causes and impacts of domestic abuse, which affects women and girls disproportionately
- Recognise the different lived experiences of different groups of women victims and the specific protections and support services they need
- Include ring-fenced funding for specialist BME VAWG services
- Ensure improved co-ordination and implementation of multi-agency arrangements for the protection of high-risk victims, which should be victim-centred
- Strengthen public authority safeguarding and risk assessment processes
- Improve and standardise local government responses to domestic abuse & VAWG
- Give the Domestic Abuse Commissioner effective powers to be able to hold local authorities to account for their response to domestic abuse & VAWG
- Ensure all women victims of domestic abuse have access to protection and support services, irrespective of immigration status
- Ensure compliance with the requirements of the Istanbul Convention
