Government publishes domestic abuse bill

The government has published its draft Domestic Abuse Bill to help support victims and their families and pursuing offenders.

With domestic abuse issues currently costing the country £66 billion a year, the new legislation will introduce the first ever statutory government definition of domestic abuse to specifically include economic abuse and controlling and manipulative non-physical abuse. This will enable everyone, including victims themselves, to understand what constitutes abuse and will encourage more victims to come forward.

Furthermore, the bill will establish a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to drive the response to domestic abuse issues and introduce new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to further protect victims and place restrictions on the actions of offenders.

Amongst the £66 billion, deemed the economic and social cost of domestic abuse, £47 billion was a result of the physical and emotional harm of domestic abuse. The remainder includes other factors such as cost to health services (£2.3 billion), police (£1.3 billion) and victim services (£724 million).

It is estimated that around two million adults experience domestic abuse each year, affecting almost six per cent of all adults. Women are twice as likely to be victims than men.

Victoria Atkins, Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, said: “I have heard absolutely heartbreaking accounts of victims whose lives have been ripped apart because of physical, emotional or economic abuse they have suffered by someone close to them. The draft Domestic Abuse Bill recognises the complex nature of these horrific crimes and puts the needs of victims and their families at the forefront. This government is absolutely committed to shining a light on domestic abuse to ensure this hidden crime does not remain in the shadows.”

Home Secretary Sajid Javid added: “Domestic abuse shatters lives and tears families apart. It can happen anywhere, to anyone. Protecting victims, as well as supporting survivors, is at the heart of our strengthened response to this horrific crime. Our draft Domestic Abuse Bill and wider package of measures, unveiled today, will bolster the protection for victims and will help expose and bring the vile abusers to justice.”

Simon Blackburn, chair of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Tackling domestic abuse is an issue that councils take very seriously which is why we support further measures to improve work with local partners to help support more victims and stop this horrendous crime.

“However, the ability of councils to fund services for victims is constrained by pressures on their budgets, with local authorities increasingly being forced to prioritise spending for those at immediate risk of harm, rather than on vital earlier support services and prevention schemes which help stop domestic abuse occurring in the first place. With local government facing a £3.1 billion funding gap in 2019/20, any legislative changes in this Bill must be matched with adequate resources and funding.”