A Bill to strengthen the law on domestic violence was published. Proposed measures included: new police powers to deal with domestic violence including making a breach of a non-molestation order a criminal offence, with a 5-year prison penalty; making common assault an arrestable offence; and stronger legal protection for victims by extending the use of restraining orders - giving courts power to impose a restraining order where the defendant had been acquitted but the court believed an order was necessary to protect the victim. (The government also published a summary of the responses to an earlier consultation document.)
Source: Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill [HL], Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Summary of Responses to 'Safety and Justice: the Government s Proposals on Domestic Violence', Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Text of Bill | Home Office press release | Consultation responses (pdf) | Liberty briefing (pdf) | Guardian report | Community Care article
Date: 2003-Dec
A report examined the role housing associations play in providing housing and support to people experiencing domestic violence.
Source: Katherine Cowan, Domestic Violence and Housing Associations, Sector study 28, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
An article said that nearly 1 in 4 women reported experiencing sexual violence in adulthood, in a survey of women attending family doctors in East London.
Source: Jeremy Coid et al., 'Sexual violence against adult women primary care attenders in east London', British Journal of General Practice
Links: Abstract | RCGP press release
Date: 2003-Nov
A report evaluated the effectiveness of legislation in Scotland against domestic violence. The legislation appeared to have been successful in increasing access to powers of arrest.
Source: Kate Cavanagh, Clare Connelly and Jane Scoular, An Evaluation of the Protection From Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Report (pdf) | Report | Summary
Date: 2003-Nov
Campaigners urged the government to introduce legislation to prevent courts from granting unsupervised contact or residence to parents who were found to be violent, unless the child wanted to have contact and this could be arranged safely for everyone concerned.
Source: Hilary Saunders, Failure to Protect? Domestic violence and the experiences of abused women and children in the family courts, Women's Aid Federation of England (0117 944 4411)
Links: Summary | Womens Aid press release
Date: 2003-Nov
The government published a Bill aimed at strengthening the law on domestic violence.
Source: Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill [HL], Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Nov
An Act which would make it unlawful to take girls abroad for genital mutilation, whether or not it was lawful elsewhere, received Royal assent.
Source: Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act
Date: 2003-Oct
The Law Commission began consultation on possible changes to the law relating to partial defences to murder, including provocation, diminished responsibility, and self-defence.
Source: Partial Defences to Murder, LC173, Law Commission, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | Appendices (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Oct
The Northern Ireland Executive published a consultation document on proposals to tackle domestic violence. It said it wanted to build on existing good work and link the existing initiatives into a cross-cutting strategy.
Source: Tackling Violence at Home: Government's proposals on domestic violence in Northern Ireland, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Links: Report (pdf) | NIE press release
Date: 2003-Oct
Comprehensive research was published on the standard of refuges for women and children fleeing domestic abuse in Scotland. Key recommendations included that accommodation should focus on purpose-built cluster refuges containing single-occupancy flats, communal areas and children's rooms; secure, dispersed flats should be available in every area, and shared hostel-style refuges should be phased out; women's aid groups should be more pro-active in their support work with workers based on site in shared and cluster refuges; and children's support workers should be on hand to provide a daily service to those in refuge.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Emily Lynch and Robina Goodlad, Refuges for Women, Children and Young People in Scotland, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Report | SE press release
Date: 2003-Oct
Researchers sought to measure the lifetime prevalence of abusive experiences (in childhood and adulthood) and psychiatric morbidity among women. Domestic violence showed the strongest associations with most mental health measures, with sexual assault in adulthood also showing an association. But the study failed to demonstrate a link between childhood sexual abuse and later psychiatric disorder.
Source: Jeremy Coid et al., 'Abusive experiences and psychiatric morbidity in women primary care attenders', British Journal of Psychiatry, October 2003
Links: Abstract
Date: 2003-Oct
The Scottish Executive published a strategy for the eradication of domestic abuse. The strategy concentrated on preventative measures, including working with and challenging men who used violence, strategies for the workplace, better training for professional workers, raising public awareness, and greater use of education.
Source: Preventing Domestic Abuse: National strategy, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Report | SE press release
Date: 2003-Sep
There was a rise in reported cases of female rape in 2002-03, from 8,990 to 11,411.
Source: Jon Simmons and Tricia Dodd (eds.), Crime in England and Wales: 2002/2003, Statistical Bulletin 7/03, Home Office (020 7273 2084) | Jon Simmons, Clarissa Legg and Rachel Hosking, National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS): Analysis of the impact on recorded crime - Part one: National picture, On-Line Report 31/03, Home Office (web publication only) | Jon Simmons, Clarissa Legg and Rachel Hosking, National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS): Analysis of the impact on recorded crime - Part two: Impact on individual police forces, On-Line Report 32/03, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Bulletin 7/03 (pdf) | Home Office press release | Online report 31 (pdf) | Online report 32 (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
A new book critically examined the role of housing associations in responding to the needs of women made homeless by domestic violence.
Source: Cathy Davis, Housing Associations: Rehousing women leaving domestic violence, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Jul
A third reading was given to a private member's Bill which would make it unlawful to take girls abroad for genital mutilation, whether or not it was lawful elsewhere. It would also increase the maximum penalty for both performing and procuring female genital mutilation from 5 to 14 years' imprisonment.
Source: Female Genital Mutilation Bill, Ann Clwyd MP, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 11.7.03, columns 1553-1564, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Hansard
Date: 2003-Jul
A report said that there were considerable disparities in the services provided to rape victims, resulting in a 'postcode lottery'. There were just seven specialist sexual assault referral centres in England, where rape victims could see a woman doctor and a counsellor, and report the attack to specially trained police officers.
Source: Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System, Interim Report on Victims and Witnesses, Fawcett Society (020 7628 4441)
Links: Report (pdf) | Fawcett Society press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
A private member's Bill was introduced which would establish a national register of people who had served a custodial sentence for domestic violence, and require the Crown Prosecution Service to pursue prosecutions in most cases of domestic violence even when the victim did not wish to do so.
Source: John Bercow MP, Domestic Violence (Law Reform) Bill, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 18.6.03, columns 389-391, TSO
Links: Hansard
Date: 2003-Jun
The government published a consultation paper on tackling domestic violence. It included proposals to tighten the law, strengthen prevention work, and improve protection and support for victims. Campaigners called for additional measures to ban abusive and violent parents - particularly those convicted of a sexual or violent offence against a child - from having unsupervised contact with their children following separation.
Source: Safety and Justice: The government s proposals on domestic violence, Cm 5847, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 18.6.03, columns 373-385, TSO | Press release 18.6.03, Women's Aid Federation of England (0117 944 4411) and National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Consultation paper (pdf) | Home Office press release | Hansard | Women's Aid press release | Victim Support press release | NSPCC/Women's Aid press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jun
A report described a project which looked at the backgrounds of 55 young women aged 13-18 at risk of, or experiencing, sexual exploitation and/or prostitution. It was found that education services could lead in identifying young women at risk of sexual exploitation: but that support was needed from other social work professionals and local drug and domestic violence project workers.
Source: Jenny Pearce with Mary Williams and Christina Galvin, It s Someone Taking a Part of you : Study of young women and sexual exploitation, National Children's Bureau (020 7843 6029) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: JRF Findings 513 | NSPCC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Apr
The government said it would support a private member's Bill (introduced in 2002) to outlaw the practice of female genital mutilation. The Bill would make it unlawful to take girls abroad for genital mutilation, whether or not it is lawful elsewhere. It would also increase the maximum penalty for both performing and procuring female genital mutilation from 5 to 14 years' imprisonment. The Bill was given a second reading.
Source: Female Genital Mutilation Bill, Ann Clwyd MP, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 21.3.03, Home Office (0870 000 1585) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 21.3.03, columns 1190-1210, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Press release | Guardian report | HOC Library research paper (pdf) | Hansard
Date: 2003-Mar
Campaigners said that government initiatives to tackle violent crime are failing to protect some of the most vulnerable in society. They argued that high-profile initiatives to tackle crimes such as street robbery and gun crime have been pursued while offences of domestic violence have received far less attention.
Source: Domestic Violence: From the Streets to the Sitting Room, National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (020 7582 6500)
Links: Press release
Date: 2003-Feb
The Crown Prosecution Service began consultation on its handling of rape cases.
Source: CPS Consultation on the Handling of Rape Cases, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000)
Links: Consultation Document (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2003-Jan
A report explored the potential for reducing domestic homicide. It recommended that more work be done to identify risk factors for serious domestic violence, including more attention to issues such as stalking by ex-partners and women s own assessments of risk; that educational programmes should prepare parents better for the stresses of caring for children; and that there should be an expansion of home visit programmes, counselling and respite services to those families identified as suffering undue stresses/pressures and generally regarded as potentially at risk of harming themselves or their child.
Source: Fiona Brookman and Mike Maguire, Reducing Homicide: Summary of a review of the possibilities, Occasional Paper 84, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jan