Home Secretary spearheads cross-government approach to tackling violence against women
Labour have announced new domestic abuse protection measures which will strengthen police and councils powers against vile perpetrators. Will this be enough?
One in four young women (aged between 15-24-years-old) who have been in a relationship will have already experienced violence by an intimate partner by the time they reach their mid-twenties, according to research from the World Health Organisation (WHO). This sickening statistic illustrates much more needs to be done.
This is exactly what our current government are trying to do. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a new initiative that will see domestic abuse specialists work in 999 control rooms to advise on risk assessments and work with officers on the ground to ensure victims receive quicker support. Part of this includes experts working with new technologies to enable video call responses.
The government are set to begin funding this pilot in early 2025 and it will form part of ‘Raneem’s Law’ – a legislation created in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018. Prior to their death, there were 13 reports made to the police about concerns for the women’s safety, with no arrests made. On the night she was killed, she rang 999 four times.
‘Victims of appalling domestic abuse need to know that the police will be there for them,’ Ms Cooper said. ‘[The] measures are the start of this new government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.’
She added: ‘Failure to understand the seriousness of domestic abuse costs lives and far too many have already been lost. That’s why introducing ‘Raneem’s Law’ in memory of Raneem and her mother Khaola is so vital – and has been a personal priority for me.’
Meanwhile, from November the government are also implementing a new domestic abuse protection order pilot. This will build on current police powers which order abusers to cut contact with victims and limit how close they can get to them. However, victims are currently only protected for 28 days.
Now, it will become a legal requirement for perpetrators, who have committed any form of abuse including stalking, violence and controlling behaviour, to inform the police of any name or address changes which will result in electronic tagging and behaviour change programmes – there will be no maximum duration for these. What’s more, these powers won’t be limited to just the police force. Agencies, including councils, charities, family courts and social services, will be able to apply for them.
Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge has commented on the latest announcement. Whilst she welcomes the new plans, she explains the government need to be clearer on how they will be implemented.
She said: ‘As we have seen over the last few weeks and months, violence against women and girls is at unprecedented levels. The scale of these crimes and their impact on survivors, victims and their loved ones really cannot be underestimated. Whilst we broadly support the raft of measures announced by the Home Office including specialists in 999 control rooms, we need to see far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained for this pilot scheme due to be implemented in early 2025.
‘We have been waiting with bated breath for the roll out of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) which were first announced by the previous government under the landmark Domestic Abuse Act which passed in 2021. Refuge is pleased the piloting of these DAPOs are finally getting up and running which will allow more tools for the police and other agencies to implement protections for survivors of domestic abuse. However, we know there are a myriad of issues when it comes to police using their powers to protect survivors and hold perpetrators to account, so often survivors tell us that the police don’t act on breaches of these orders, and they are often worth ‘little more than the paper they are written on.’
‘We have also seen a very low uptake by forces nationwide to issue current protective orders available, with a Centre for Women’s Justice super complaint showing Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) are obtained on average in only 1% of domestic abuse crimes. For DAPOs to work and provide survivors with real protections from abusers we need a real sea change in internal policing culture and the police forces response to domestic abuse overall,’ Abigail continued. ‘The focus needs to be on quality and mandatory training for all officers on how to issue and monitor these orders, as well as specialist training around the dynamics of domestic abuse. Without correct resourcing of trained and upskilled police officers, these protective orders will be worth nothing to women and their children experiencing domestic abuse.’
Abigail added: ‘We stand with Nour Norris in the memory of her niece Raneem Oudeh, and sister Khaola Saleem and all lives lost to domestic abuse. Their legacy is vital, and we must remember each and every life taken by male violence. Refuge welcomes Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s pledge to treat domestic abuse as a priority not just within her remit at the Home Office but across all government departments. It is only through societal change that we can eventually eradicate domestic abuse. On average in England and Wales a woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner every five days, this is an appalling statistic that we’ve all become too familiar with, change and action is long overdue.’
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