Family Courts: Domestic Abuse

(asked on 5th March 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to protect survivors of domestic abuse from further trauma in the family courts.


Answered by
Alex Chalk Portrait
Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
This question was answered on 13th March 2020

Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime and we are determined to better protect and support the victims of abuse and their children, and bring perpetrators to justice.

In May 2019, we announced a public call for evidence led by a panel of experts to help us better understand victims’ experiences of the system, and make sure the family court is never used to coerce or re-traumatise those who have been abused.

The panel are in the process of drafting their report and recommendations for next steps, which will be published in the Spring.

The Domestic Abuse Bill, reintroduced on March 3rd, also includes a provision to prohibit perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in the family courts in England and Wales and the Government has agreed to widen the range of evidence which will trigger the automatic ban, in line with the legal aid regime.

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