Key Facts

• The amendment aims to broaden the definition of a victim of domestic abuse to include children who witness or experience the effects of such abuse.
• A child is considered related to a person if they are their parent or have parental responsibility, or if they are relatives as defined by section 63(1) of the Family Law Act 1996.
• Government proposes several new clauses addressing various aspects of domestic abuse legislation.
• New clauses include provisions for special measures in family proceedings, prohibition of cross-examination in civil proceedings, lifetime press anonymity for survivors, screening for brain injuries, specialist services for perpetrators and victims, and legal protections for immigrant survivors.
• The amendments seek to strengthen existing laws and introduce new measures to enhance protection and support for domestic abuse victims.
• 2.4 million people experience domestic abuse.
• New clause 15 recognizes children exposed to domestic abuse as victims.
• More than 1,200 submissions were received for a panel reviewing family court procedures involving domestic abuse.
• Cross-examination in person is prohibited across all courts if likely to diminish witness evidence or cause significant distress.
• The increase of internet traffic related to pornography is concerning at a rate of 11.6%.
• Cases involving rough sex are often perceived as having a defence, leading men to avoid convictions or receive reduced sentences.
• The Minister pays tribute to the family of Natalie Connolly for their hard work in this area.
• New clause 20 aims to make it clear that consent to the infliction of serious harm and death is not a legal defence.
• The destitution domestic violence concession (DDVC) supports migrant victims with certain partner visas.
• A £1.5 million pilot programme, the support for migrant victims scheme, has been launched to address immediate needs of migrant victims.
• We are coming to the Dispatch Box with an open heart and acknowledge the need for evidence-based reform.
• People on visitor visas, such as a six-month visa, have made financial representations to the Home Office.
• The Southall Black Sisters provided evidence to the Joint Committee on this issue.
• A pilot programme is being launched to ensure immediate access to support for victims.
• Further announcements about implementing the pilot are expected in summer.
• The pilot project will launch in autumn.
• The MP cites examples from police officers across the country highlighting difficulties in safeguarding victims without recourse to public funds.
• West Midlands Police Public Protection Unit spent £23,161 on temporary accommodation out of police force funding last year.
• The Government's draft guidance admits that no recourse to public funds is a barrier for women escaping domestic abuse.
• The proposal aims to bring people forward confidently.
• Individuals would not be penalised under this temporary change.
• New clause 25 would insert a non-discrimination clause into the Bill.
• New clause 23 would expand duties on local authorities and relevant public bodies to provide domestic abuse services.
• Over 70% of domestic abuse victims receive support in community-based services rather than refuges.
• A community worker in Merseyside supports 776 complex cases with only four staff members.
• New clause 24 seeks decisive action to protect children living with domestic abuse by reviewing the pro-contact family court culture.
• The Domestic Abuse Bill has returned for its Report stage and Third Reading.
• Two amendments are welcomed: new clause 15 on children affected by domestic abuse and measures against the rough sex defence.
• Concerns raised about migrant women's uncertain immigration status being used as a form of abuse.
• Since the beginning of lockdown, 35 women and children have been murdered by partners or ex-partners.
• New clauses 32 and 33 aim to address the gap in managing repeat abusers.
• There is no systematic approach to monitor and tackle repeat perpetrators.
• The statement welcomes the inclusion of new clauses that give greater protection to children who witness abuse and commit to housing victims of abuse.
• New clause 20 ends the so-called rough sex defence, a cross-party solution.
• Refuge's campaign 'The Naked Threat' highlights that one in seven young women have been threatened with sharing intimate or sexual images.
• The Government considers undertaking a public consultation on making permanent the current measure allowing home use of early medical abortion pills up to 10 weeks’ gestation.
• Hon. Friend the Minister has introduced new clauses 16, 17 and 18.
• Pilot projects will provide data on supporting migrant women victims of domestic abuse.
• There is a consensus around finding a way to treat migrant victims as victims first.
• The speaker welcomes measures to bring family court procedures in line with criminal court protections.
• Proposed new section 85H specifies that the qualified legal representative appointed by the court is not responsible to the party seeking cross-examination.
• The abolition of the consent defence in new clause 4 addresses long-standing legal issues settled largely by the case of Brown.
• New clause 28 would allow women in abusive relationships to obtain abortion medication remotely if deemed necessary by a doctor.
• The Abortion Act 1967 currently restricts access to legal abortion care to licensed premises only.
• During the covid pandemic, regulations were put in place allowing telemedicine for early medical abortions up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
• Three quarters of child safeguarding cases involve domestic abuse.
• A third of domestic abuse begins during pregnancy.
• 831,000 children live in households with domestic abuse.
• About half the residents in refuges are children.
• There has been a 15% rise in 999 emergency calls relating to domestic abuse in Northern Ireland during the past three months compared with the same period last year.
• The progress of the Domestic Abuse Bill leaves glaring omissions in legislative protection for victims in Northern Ireland, including no statutory gender definition and no provision for a domestic abuse commissioner or office.
• Two thirds of victims of domestic abuse are women and one third are men according to the Office for National Statistics.
• The Government's statutory guidance includes parental alienation and preventing contact as examples of domestic abuse.
• There are thousands—hundreds of thousands—of parents who do not have any relationship with their children due to parental alienation.
• Lie detector tests, unreliable and criticized in entertainment programmes like 'The Jeremy Kyle Show', are being proposed for use in serious cases.
• The Bill seeks to provide support and protection for victims of domestic abuse.
• New clause 28 aims to allow women in abusive relationships to access care without putting themselves at risk.
• Telemedicine has reduced illegal and unsafe abortions during the pandemic.
• The amendments address the rough sex defence, review by the Director of Public Prosecutions, and victim anonymity.
• New clause 20 is seen as a solution addressing these issues.
• The Minister acknowledges the need for data collection for elder abuse victims.
• The Bill includes many landmark changes, though specifics are not listed due to time constraints.
• Amendment 46 would ensure a representative for Wales holds a seat on the commissioner’s advisory board to reflect Welsh circumstances.
• Data from the Metropolitan police shows there were 13,600 repeat victims of domestic abuse in the year up to September 2019.
• New clause 28 relates to enabling access to abortions for women in abusive relationships via telephone consultations.
• A consultant argues that distinguishing between false claims of abuse and genuine situations is difficult over the phone.
• There have been cases where pills issued via telemedicine were taken beyond recommended gestation limits, including one case at 18 weeks.
• The Domestic Abuse Bill aims to change life for hundreds of thousands of women facing domestic abuse.
• Migrant women encountering domestic abuse need significant support and protection.
• New clause 26 would give migrant women who survive domestic abuse the right to remain in this country.
• New clause 27 would prevent sharing data between Government agencies such as the police and Home Office.
• The Government intends to launch a public consultation on the topic of abortion related to new clause 28.
• Amendments (a), (b), and (c) were tabled to highlight flaws in new clause 28, specifically regarding gestation limits and surgical abortions.
• Research shows that 64% of women prisoners had suffered from a brain injury, with 62% of those injuries resulting from domestic violence.
• Home is where many people experience hate and pain due to domestic abuse.
• In two thirds of cases, victims are women, though men can also be victims.
• Cohabiting women are almost three times more likely to suffer from domestic abuse than married or civil partnership women.
• New clause 3 calls for the Government to review sentences for domestic abuse crimes.
• The Bill lacks provisions for press anonymity for domestic abuse survivors.
• New clause 19 would ensure survivors receive the same guarantee of press anonymity as those who report sexual assault, which has been in place since 1992.
• Naming survivors can discourage them from reporting and put their wellbeing at risk.
• The MP tabled two amendments focusing on sexual violence in domestic abuse contexts.
• Police and crime commissioners regularly commission sufficient services for victims of sexual violence, but local NHS services often fail to meet expectations.
• No recourse to public funds renders many at-risk individuals powerless and increases their chances of being preyed upon by abusers or falling into destitution.
• The Bill aims to increase awareness of domestic abuse and support victims.
• New clause 34 addresses the issue of threats to share intimate images without consent.
• Refuge research finds that one in 14 adults (four and a half million people) have experienced such threats.
• Speaker mentions three women working in her constituency on domestic abuse issues.
• Supports new clause 22 for insecure immigration status victims.
• Praises the government's pledge of £1.5 million for a pilot scheme.
• Children affected by domestic abuse need proper support and recognition.
• New clause 15 includes children in the definition of domestic abuse.
• Community-based services for child victims need funding under any new statutory duty.
• Northern Ireland figures released today show a 15% increase in domestic abuse cases over the past three months.
• Joleen Corr, a 27-year-old woman from Downpatrick, died after being propelled down stairs by her abuser.
• New clause 28 is criticized for potentially giving abusers more power to keep victims at home and away from help.
• Up to 30% of children live in a household where abuse is taking place.
• Charlie Webster's personal experience inspired the campaign to amend the definition of domestic abuse.
• New clause 15 recognises a child as someone under 18 years old for the purpose of the amendment.
• More than 100,000 children in the UK have parents with leave to remain but no recourse to public funds.
• Only 5% of refuge vacancies are accessible due to housing benefit restrictions.
• Family Help in Darlington is one of the UK’s first women’s refuges, providing support since 1976.
• Rydal Academy, a primary school, has a high concentration of children from homes where abuse occurs and seeks to implement local perpetrator programmes.
• Between 2010-11 and 2018-19, central Government funding for children and young people’s services fell by £2.2 billion.
• Some 831,000 children in England are living in households that have reported domestic abuse.
• New clause 15 provides that references to victims of domestic abuse include children who see, hear or experience the effects of abuse.
• Amendment 35 proposes mandating police forces to record misogyny as a hate crime where they are not ordinarily doing so.
• 26 women and girls have been killed since the start of the lockdown in March.
• SASHA (support, advice, safety, help and aid) has been set up in Totnes constituency.
• The Bill aims to end the 'rough sex defence' and ensure perpetrators cannot escape justice for horrific crimes.
• The Bill Committee heard evidence from charities like Women's Aid and Welsh Women's Aid.
• Migrant women face unique barriers in seeking support due to immigration status.
• More than half of police forces in England and Wales share victims' details with the Home Office for immigration control purposes.
• Domestic abuse currently costs society at least £66 billion a year.
• The analysis by the Children’s Commissioner shows that 831,000 children in England are living in households that report domestic abuse.
• In 2018-19, domestic abuse was identified as the most common additional factor of need in social care assessments for children.
• Services in the speaker's constituency have informed her that the commissioner has made a tremendous difference in ensuring resources reach frontline workers.
• The Domestic Abuse Bill is described as groundbreaking UK legislation.
• Gorwel provides support for up to 500 victims of domestic violence and homelessness weekly across north Wales.
• The Government have provided over £1 million through the tampon tax fund for migrant victims without recourse to public funds.
• Seven Departments are currently working on the Domestic Abuse Bill.
• There were over 2 million people experiencing domestic abuse in England and Wales each year.
• Two women a week are killed by partners or ex-partners in England and Wales.
• The government's support for migrant victims scheme will be announced in summer.
• The framework of the support for migrant victims scheme aims to be published ahead of Lords Second Reading.
• The Government's programme already helps around 2,500 women under the DDVC.
• There is ongoing judicial review regarding police data sharing for immigration purposes.
• A public consultation will be conducted on making permanent home use of early medical abortion pills up to 10 weeks' gestation.
• The new clause applies where rules of court provide for the making of a special measures direction.
• Rules of court must assume diminished quality of evidence and participation if P is or at risk of being a victim of domestic abuse by listed persons in subsection (3).
• Victims of specified offences are eligible for access to special measures in civil proceedings.
• The legislation enables court directions prohibiting in-person cross-examination if evidence quality would be diminished or significant distress caused.
• A legal representative can be appointed by the court when a party is prevented from cross-examining a witness personally due to a direction under section 85F.
• Legal representatives must follow guidance issued by the Lord Chancellor regarding their role in such proceedings.
• The new clause amends sections under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
• Exceptions are provided for cases involving specific sexually transmitted infections where consent was given knowing the infection status.
• A review must be conducted within 12 months of the Act being passed.
• Amendments made to define 'family proceedings' in the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984.
• Amendments introduced to include provisions on consent not being a defence in serious harm cases.
• The amendments are consequential on new clauses inserted by NC15, NC17, and NC20.
• The Bill has undergone two Second Reading debates before reaching Third Reading.
• It took over three years of work for the Bill to reach this stage.
• The Bill now recognises the impact of domestic abuse on children living in abusive households.
• Research by the Government Equalities Office will address concerns about harms from pornography.
• Government will publish a White Paper on sentencing reform later in the year.
• The Bill aims to ensure that the phrase 'It’s only a domestic' is consigned to history books.
• There are approximately 2.4 million victims of domestic abuse annually in England and Wales.
• A £1.5 million pilot scheme will be launched to support migrant victims who do not qualify under existing mechanisms.
• The Domestic Abuse Bill is a major reform of family private law.
• It includes changes to procedures in the family court which have taken time to implement.
• The Bill addresses non-fatal strangulation, filling a legal gap previously present under section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
• Thanks are extended to Ministers, Labour shadow Front-Bench Members, and Members across the House for their contributions.
• Progress has been made since the Home Affairs Committee’s report on domestic abuse two years ago.
• Tributes are paid to my hon. Friend the Member for Canterbury (Rosie Duffield) for her bravery in speaking out about domestic abuse.