Survey of victims shows vast majority believe police and courts ignore psychological harm and patterns of abuse
Campaigners have called for the law on domestic violence to be tightened after a survey of victims showed perpetrators often escape prosecution.
An online survey of 258 domestic violence victims found 88% felt the legal system did not take psychological harm into account, despite 94% of victims saying that mental cruelty was sometimes worse than physical harm.
The survey also found that 57% of victims who went to the police reported more than three incidents of domestic violence, but 81% said the police and the courts did not take any pattern of abuse into account.
Almost all respondents felt reform of the law and practice on domestic violence was needed and that police, prosecutors, judges and magistrates should complete mandatory training in the dynamics and impact of domestic violence.
The survey was organised by Paladin, the national stalking advocacy service, and two domestic violence charities, Women's Aid and the Sara Charlton Foundation. They want the law changed to make "coercive control", patterns of behaviour and causing psychological harm to become criminal offences.
They say this is necessary to ensure the response of the criminal justice system to domestic violence reflects both a new wider Home Office definition that includes coercive control and the reality of violent relationships.
A new bill that would make domestic abuse a specific offence with cross-party backing has been introduced to parliament with cross-party backing.It would ensure sentences reflect whether domestic abuse, both physical or psychological, was part of a pattern of abuse.Guardian research published last week shows that police forces across England and Wales believe more than 10,000 women – and their children – are at high risk of being murdered or seriously injured by current or former partners.
Laura Richards, director of Paladin, said: "It is possible for the law to criminalise a course of conduct and move beyond physical injury. Stalking laws now allow the criminal justice system to take account of patterns of controlling behaviour after a relationship has ended, but often this is far too late for victims as the behaviour has been allowed to escalate."
Richards said the same standard now needed to be applied to domestic violence. "The legislative framework must change to take account of a course of conduct, target patterns and address a broad range of harm and focus more on early intervention and prevention," she said.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid, said: "These survey results clearly reflect what our member services have been telling us for a long time: that the criminal justice focus on individual incidents of physical violence cannot reflect the ongoing psychological harm caused by coercive control in intimate relationships." Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 hours ago.
Campaigners have called for the law on domestic violence to be tightened after a survey of victims showed perpetrators often escape prosecution.
An online survey of 258 domestic violence victims found 88% felt the legal system did not take psychological harm into account, despite 94% of victims saying that mental cruelty was sometimes worse than physical harm.
The survey also found that 57% of victims who went to the police reported more than three incidents of domestic violence, but 81% said the police and the courts did not take any pattern of abuse into account.
Almost all respondents felt reform of the law and practice on domestic violence was needed and that police, prosecutors, judges and magistrates should complete mandatory training in the dynamics and impact of domestic violence.
The survey was organised by Paladin, the national stalking advocacy service, and two domestic violence charities, Women's Aid and the Sara Charlton Foundation. They want the law changed to make "coercive control", patterns of behaviour and causing psychological harm to become criminal offences.
They say this is necessary to ensure the response of the criminal justice system to domestic violence reflects both a new wider Home Office definition that includes coercive control and the reality of violent relationships.
A new bill that would make domestic abuse a specific offence with cross-party backing has been introduced to parliament with cross-party backing.It would ensure sentences reflect whether domestic abuse, both physical or psychological, was part of a pattern of abuse.Guardian research published last week shows that police forces across England and Wales believe more than 10,000 women – and their children – are at high risk of being murdered or seriously injured by current or former partners.
Laura Richards, director of Paladin, said: "It is possible for the law to criminalise a course of conduct and move beyond physical injury. Stalking laws now allow the criminal justice system to take account of patterns of controlling behaviour after a relationship has ended, but often this is far too late for victims as the behaviour has been allowed to escalate."
Richards said the same standard now needed to be applied to domestic violence. "The legislative framework must change to take account of a course of conduct, target patterns and address a broad range of harm and focus more on early intervention and prevention," she said.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid, said: "These survey results clearly reflect what our member services have been telling us for a long time: that the criminal justice focus on individual incidents of physical violence cannot reflect the ongoing psychological harm caused by coercive control in intimate relationships." Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 hours ago.