Domestic violence is a scourge on society. According to Refuge, Britain’s leading domestic violence charity, two women a week in England and Wales lose their life to a current or former partner.
That’s why this week I’m supporting a move to amend the Domestic Abuse Bill, which is currently before Parliament, to expand access to brain screening for women who have been abused.
If successful, this will help ensure both that survivors get the care they need even where their injuries aren’t obvious on the surface, and that the Crown has all the evidence it can get to successfully prosecute abusers. I hope ministers will accept the amendment.
But there remains much more to do. Domestic abuse is a vicious crime, but the specific tactics employed by abusive partners can be extremely varied.
Those working on the front line with survivors increasingly talk about several different types of abuse, including financial and psychological abuse, as well as the strong links between abuse and other evils such as modern slavery, prostitution, and people-trafficking.
Combating this crime will require a joined-up approach across the whole of government, regular legislation to make sure legal protections are up-to-date, and proper funding for community services for women and girls trying to escape abusive partners.
And it will be especially important as lockdown eases and people who have been trapped in an abusive household start reaching out for help.
The past few months have been difficult for many, but I’m delighted that you’re still getting in touch to let me know about local ‘Corona Heroes’ who have really risen to the challenge.
This week I want to thank Adrian Passmore and the team at Red Kite Cycles, who have been bending over backwards to support their regular customers and local key workers over the past few months.
I love cycling, and with gyms and other sporting avenues closed for months I’m sure that riding has been a lifeline to many local people who will have really appreciated having Red Kite in their corner.
It goes to show that charity isn’t just for private life: we can bake it into our businesses too.
