Women’s Aid responds to new measures announced by the Home Office, including Raneem’s Law and the piloting of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, which aim to combat violence against women and girls

Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said:

“Today, the Home Office have announced a series of measures, including Raneem’s Law and a piloting of new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs), as part of the Government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls. Women’s Aid is pleased that the Government are sharing plans on how they aim to deliver on this ambitious commitment, and welcome the introduction of these measures, whilst recognising that there is much more to be done, and that we need a whole-system approach to ensure we can protect and support women and girls.

Under Raneem’s Law, domestic abuse specialists will be embedded into 999 control rooms, where they will advise on risk assessments and work with frontline officers to ensure a fast and appropriate response. While this measure is a positive improvement, domestic abuse specialists must be included at all stages of police response, including the investigation process, to ensure that survivors are protected, and perpetrators are held to account.

It takes an incredible amount of courage for survivors to report their experiences to the police, so it is essential that those who do are properly supported through the investigation process by specialists. We know that women’s confidence in the police is at an all-time low, with only one in five reporting their experiences of abuse. Having specialist support throughout the process may help to improve this confidence and in turn increase justice.

The new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) aim to go further than existing protective orders with the introduction of new features including electronic tagging. The launch of this pilot is long overdue, with the Domestic Abuse Act passing nearly 4 years ago. Effective protective orders, and the wider policing of domestic abuse as a whole, demands close collaboration with specialist services who are able to help survivors access justice. It is our hope that the government will provide further updates on the consultation for local connection requirements and joint tenancy law, which were due to be published in 2022.

The announcement that the Home Secretary will be spearheading a cross-government approach to tackling violence against women and girls is a significant step in the right direction, as domestic abuse and male violence is a problem that requires collaboration across government and society. The involvement of the Treasury and the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be particularly important due to the urgent need for sustainable funding to the specialist services that support survivors. The funding gaps that have been left from decades of chronic underfunding means that we need to see the Government committing at least £516 million every year to domestic abuse services, so that these lifesaving services can continue empowering survivors to heal from the trauma of abuse and rebuild their lives in safety.

We hope that the ministerial visit to Rising Sun, a Women’s Aid member service, earlier this week has shed light onto the very real issues that survivors of domestic abuse are facing right now and the vital role that specialist services play in providing support. We are pleased that steps are being taken but recognise that these are just the start.”