Domestic Abuse family court petition
Domestic Abuse family court petition nearing 25,000 signatures
When people hear the words “domestic abuse” it can conjure up so many emotions and mistaken beliefs as to what this is. Sadly, domestic abuse is more than just physical violence and should in fact be seen as a pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence. In the majority of cases domestic violence is usually carried out by a partner or ex-partner, but it can also be perpetrated by a family member or carer.
One of the main myths around domestic violence is that it is only every violence against women perpetrated by men. Whilst more often than not it is a gendered crime rooted in the societal inequality between women and men, there are more and more cases of violence against men by women which go unreported. There is currently no reliable prevalence data on domestic abuse and it is likely that for both men and women they often do not report or disclose domestic abuse to the police and may underreport domestic abuse in surveys, particularly during face-to-face interviews. The latest statistics (2022/23) published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show:
- One in three victims of domestic abuse are male equating to 751,000 men (3.2%) and 1.38 million women (5.7%).
- From this, 483,000 men and 964,000 women are victims of partner abuse.
- One in seven men (13.9%) and one in four women (27%) will be a victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime.
For many victims of domestic abuse, the idea of then having to participate in family court proceedings (whether this is part of injunction proceedings to gain protection or in children proceedings sorting out the arrangements of contact etc) and face their alleged abuser can feel more damaging than the abuse they suffered. One high profile celebrity who has shared her own story worldwide is pop star Melanie Brown MBE (“Aka Scary Spice). She has been working with Woman’s Aid and has now started a formal petition calling for all judges to receive compulsory domestic abuse training designed and delivered with experts in the field of domestic abuse. Mel has been a patron of Women’s Aid since 2018. As of 6 August, the petition has 24,174 signatures and their aim is to get to 50,000.
For anyone experiencing any form of domestic abuse, whether that is physical, mental, financial or psychological, it is important to speak out and get help wherever possible. At Kerseys our experienced family law solicitors can help advise on all options available and signpost where necessary to other organisations who can help and support.
Contact us today to find out more about our confidential initial consultation process and how we can help at Kerseys Solicitors in Ipswich at [email protected] or telephone 01473 213311 or Kerseys Solicitors in Felixstowe at [email protected] on 01394 834557 or Kerseys Solicitors in Colchester at [email protected] on 01206 584584.
