Domestic Abuse

(asked on 23rd May 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that cases of emotional abuse are afforded the same priority as physical abuse cases.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 30th May 2022

Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for this Government. The landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduced for the first time a legal definition of domestic abuse that is wide-ranging, recognising a range of abuses beyond physical violence; including sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, economic abuse, and controlling or coercive behaviour. Putting the definition on a statutory footing aims to ensure that domestic abuse is properly understood and that all public agencies and relevant parties are applying a common definition in seeking to tackle this abhorrent crime.

Building on this, the Government went further and on 30 March, published the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan which will seek to transform the whole of society’s response to domestic abuse in all its forms.

Emotional abuse can form part of a pattern of controlling or coercive behaviour. The Domestic Abuse Act extended the coercive and controlling behaviour offence removing the ‘living together’ requirement to ensure that the offence applies to partners, ex-partners or family members, regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator live together. We are also in the process of updating the Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Statutory Guidance to further support frontline agencies in identifying, investigating and evidencing domestic abuse offences. We launched a public consultation on the draft guidance on 30 April.

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