Domestic Abuse Act 2021 - raising awareness
The government reports that there are some 2.3 million victims of domestic abuse a year aged 16 to 74 (two-thirds of whom are women) and more than one in ten of all offences recorded by the police are domestic abuse related.
In December 2019 the Government was elected with a manifesto commitment to “support all victims of domestic abuse and pass the Domestic Abuse Bill” originally introduced in the last Parliament.
The new Act also intends to:
1.) Further improve the effectiveness of the justice system in providing protection for victims of domestic abuse and bringing perpetrators to justice.
2.) Strengthen the support for victims of abuse by statutory agencies.
3.) Raise awareness and understanding about the devastating impact of domestic abuse on victims and their families.
This will include creating a statutory definition of domestic abuse, emphasising that domestic abuse is not just physical violence, but can also be emotional, controlling or coercive, and economic abuse and prohibiting perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in the civil and family courts in England and Wales
The Act will also create a statutory presumption that victims of domestic abuse are eligible for special measures in the criminal, civil and family courts and clarify the circumstances in which a court may make a barring order under section 91(14) of the Children Act 1989 to prevent family proceedings that can further traumatise victims
You can access GOV.UK factsheets on the new Act through the following link: Domestic Abuse Bill: factsheets