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Legal aid extended to DA victims with ‘trapped capital’

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Survivors of domestic abuse should not be denied legal aid because they have assets tied up in a home, the high court has ruled. The decision means the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) can be less restrictive on granting help to domestic abuse victims who have capital “trapped” in property which cannot be sold or borrowed […]

DA helpline took centre stage on Google

Google

The national domestic abuse helpline run by Refuge featured on search engine Google’s home page on 8 December. Clicking on the link took users to www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk. “We are incredibly grateful to Google for this show of support,” said Refuge spokeswoman Lisa King. “Domestic abuse is a social pandemic in this country and we need as […]

International: DA victim given ex-partner’s job

The Argentinean flag

Valeria Juarez was offered – and accepted – the gardening job once held by her abusive former partner in Santa Rosa, La Pampa province, Argentina. The local authority has a policy that any employee convicted of domestic violence loses their job, which must then be offered to their victim. Juarez was quoted as saying in […]

Police chiefs urge DA victims to seek help during lockdown

Police officer guarding 10 Downing Street entrance gate in the City of Westminster

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has reaffirmed domestic abuse remains a police priority throughout England’s second lockdown. The organisation’s lead on the issue, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, said: “Our message to victims of domestic abuse is to continue reporting to us. You are not alone. We will come when you ask for help, and […]

Government boosts funding for DA support in England and Wales

Palace of Westminster

The Westminster government is giving almost £18m to help survivors of domestic abuse or rape in expectation support services will face greater demand in the coming months. The sum of £10.1m is going to support centres and Police and Crime Commissioners to fund services supporting victims across England and Wales. There will be a separate […]

Scotland’s MPs seek views on emergency barring orders

Scotland flag

The Scottish Parliament’s justice committee is asking for opinions from interested parties on the government’s proposed Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) and Domestic Abuse Protection Notices (DAPNs). They are contained in the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill which, if approved, would give courts and police power to remove a suspected domestic abuse perpetrator from a shared […]

SmartWater protects DA victims in South Yorkshire

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The adaption of property-marking SmartWater, traditionally used to deter theft and burglary, has protected more than 80 vulnerable people across South Yorkshire in the last eight months. The area’s Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said: “Where … abusers are continuing to deny that they are contacting the victim, property can be forensically sprayed […]

Horley reflects on 40 years of changed attitudes

Looking back at her 42 years helping domestic abuse survivors, the now-retired former CEO of Refuge, Sandra Horley says: “Domestic abuse has never been higher on the political or public agenda.” She began working in women’s refuges in the English Midlands in 1978. “Back then, it was generally accepted by society that a man had […]

Survey reveals extent of economic abuse

Economic abuse is potentially more widespread than previously thought, according to the Know Economic Abuse report by Refuge and The Co-operative Bank. One in six (16%) of around 4,000 adults surveyed said that they had experienced economic abuse from a current or previous partner. However, 39% of respondents reported they had experienced economic abuse behaviours, […]

DA-related calls to NSPCC helpline up almost half

Contacts to the NSPCC helpline from people concerned about children living with domestic abuse have increased to a monthly average of 903 since the coronavirus lockdown in March, an increase of 48.8% compared with the pre-lockdown period. “These numbers are backed up by the experiences of our frontline staff who work with mothers and children […]