Women’s Aid comment on the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill
Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said:
“Women’s Aid welcomes the introduction of the previously announced Crime and Policing Bill, which includes the specific aim of tacking Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) but are disappointed to see that there is no explicit mention of domestic abuse.
With one in four women experiencing abuse in their lifetime, it is concerning that domestic abuse has not been listed as a priority offence in the Bill. Furthermore, there is once again a focus on the ‘highest-harm’ offences from the Government, which fails to acknowledge the nature of domestic abuse and the risk-factors that abusive behaviours brings. Sadly, the risk to survivor of domestic abuse is often classed as ‘standard’ or ‘medium’, overlooking the escalating patterns of abuse, which can result in homicide. The Government must work with domestic abuse services to ensure that expert insights into how perpetrators operate, and the risks of abuse are included in the plans.
Alongside a commitment to domestic abuse in legislation, we need to see funding pledges to the specialist domestic abuse services that support survivors. These life-saving services face chronic underfunding, which is ultimately impacting their ability to ensure that survivors are safe and supported. Without these services supporting survivors, it will be impossible for the Government to achieve their pledge to halve VAWG in the next decade.
Domestic abuse is a national emergency, which requires urgent collaborative action to overcome. We look forward to continuing our work with the Government, ensure that expert and survivor voices are included in measures.”
The post Women’s Aid comment on the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill appeared first on Women’s Aid.
