Official account for the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England & Wales. Champions victims and survivors voices to bring change.
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Domestic abuse is everyday business in the Family Court. Yet too many victims tell me they've been failed by a system meant to protect them
If govt wants to halve VAWG, the family court must be better equipped to spot domestic abuse & victims must have better access to legal aid
🗣️ 'So many people have said to me, you have to look into the family courts.'
Sky's @Mollie_Malone1 explains how her investigation revealed failures in family courts and how women, particularly victims of abuse, feel 'shut out' of the system.
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Victims will be planning their safety around the belief that their perp will be tagged & actively monitored. Govt must be honest on how quickly abusers will be tagged & ensure probation has the resources it needs to ensure no survivor is left exposed. bit.ly/3V7HGdB
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Great to visit @greatermcr last week, to hear about how they’re harnessing their devolved powers to improve the response to DA.
Lots I will be sharing with local and national leaders about the opportunities and barriers to delivering for victims.
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I welcome the PM's commitment today to introduce specialist rape courts and rollout additional specialist domestic abuse courts.
Every victim deserves a justice system that understands their experiences, protects their wellbeing and holds their abusers to account.
Women and girls should be able to live their lives free from violence and abuse.
But when these crimes happen, we need a justice system that properly supports victims.
So we’re making changes.
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Pregnancy can be terrifying for DA victims, with abuse often escalating.
We know that many midwives can identify DA but don't know how to respond effectively.
That's why midwives must be upskilled to connect victims with DA support, so no appointment is a missed opportunity.
Around 20,000 disclosures of domestic abuse are estimated to be made to maternity services in England every year, according to new analysis by The For Baby's Sake Trust.
This new data, which is not routinely collated and published at a national level, highlights the vital role maternity professionals play in identifying abuse.
It points to an urgent need for standardised data collection, specialist domestic abuse training on the impact of domestic abuse in pregnancy and on babies, and national investment in early interventions to break cycles of domestic abuse and give every baby the best start in life.
Thank you to @guardian for covering these new insights.
Read the full story here: theguardian.com/society/2026…
#BreakTheCycle
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For far too long, victims of DA and the services supporting them have been an afterthought for the govt. That must urgently change.
The PM must show leadership on tackling DA and rebuild trust with people impacted by it. Their safety and wellbeing are too important to overlook.
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Devolution is an opportunity to improve the response to domestic abuse across the country & I've been making the case that it should be built in from the very beginning.
Excellent to speak to officials at No 10 North yesterday about their plans, and how DA will cut across them.
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Dame Nicole Jacobs retweeted
I met with @CommissionerDA Dame Nicole Jacobs to discuss working together to better support victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
We’re investing in support services and technology to better protect victims and we are determined to tackle violence against women and girls.
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‘Stalking victims deserve to feel safe, not just heard - that's why I'm pushing the CPS to move faster’
✍️ @elliereeves for LBC Opinion lbc.co.uk/article/stalking-v…
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This is Darryl, who shared his story with us through my survivor hub - Our voices matter.
He wants other men and LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic abuse to know they're not alone.
Thank you for sharing Darryl. Read in full 👇
domesticabusecommissioner.uk…
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Many DA victims rely on probation to keep them safe when their abusers are released from prison. But the service is on its knees.
Adequate resource & partnership working are vital to manage abusers' risk, especially with more being released early in Oct.
ft.com/content/4ba62ec5-8f81…
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This is deeply concerning. Too often police abusers misuse their role to exert control and evade scrutiny. They must be swiftly held to account.
It is also absolutely critical that victims can access specialist support and are not placed at further risk.
thetimes.com/uk/crime/articl…
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This case highlights how abusers use drugs to assault victims without their knowledge.
That's why frontline services must be trained to respond to drug-facilitated sexual abuse.
Govt must also act against the sites that encourage this horrific crime ⬇️
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74e…
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As @Keir_Starmer steps down, I want to thank him for putting DA and VAWG on the national agenda.
His pledge to halve VAWG within a decade set the level of ambition these challenges demand.
But the work is far from done - this Govt must continue driving the change victims need.
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For DA victims, this announcement won’t bring reassurance.
While it’s good to see more dangerous offenders exempt from this scheme, I remain deeply concerned about the number of abusers who will still be eligible for early release.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crr4…
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No perp should be released before there is a wholesale change to the way their risk is assessed and managed.
This means having victims at the heart of the process, and a significant increase in funding for victims’ services to engage with the probation service.
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Read my full statement: domesticabusecommissioner.uk…
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I share DA orgs' concerns that Govt's early release plans threaten its pledge to halve VAWG, with many abusers due out in Oct.
I want to see:
➡️Victims given time to prepare for release
➡️Robust risk assessments pre-release
➡️More resources for probation
thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…
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Many victims say that their reports of tech-facilitated DA were minimised by police.
That's why risk assessment & training must be improved so that all professionals can identify the true harm of tech-facilitated DA & provide the right help to survivors.
observer.co.uk/news/national…
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If Govt only exempts some manslaughter offences from early release, it's missing the threat domestic abusers pose to victims.
Govt must consult victims & services before abusers are released, and probation must have the resources to keep communities safe.
thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…
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