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11 June 2021 | Podcasts | Article by Alan Collins

HJ Talks About Abuse: The Domestic Abuse Act 2021


HJ Talks About Abuse: The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 HJ Talks About Abuse: The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 HJ Talks About Abuse: The Domestic Abuse Act 2021

In this episode of the HJ Talks about Abuse podcast, Alan Collins and Feleena Grosvenor discuss the Domestic Abuse Bill that was passed into law on 29 April 2021.

The Act, for the first time, provides a legal definition of domestic abuse. It also provides a number of protections to the millions of people who experience abuse.

The Act states that domestic abuse is:

  1. Behaviour of a person (“A”) towards another person (“B”) is “domestic abuse” if;
    1. A and B are each aged 16 or over and are personally connected to each other, and
    2. the behaviour is abusive.
  2. Behaviour is “abusive” if it consists of any of the following;
    1. physical or sexual abuse;
    2. violent or threatening behaviour;
    3. controlling or coercive behaviour;
    4. economic abuse (see subsection (4));
    5. psychological, emotional or other abuse;

and it does not matter whether the behaviour consists of a single incident or a course of conduct.

Some monumental measures include that abusers will no longer be allowed to directly cross-examine their victims in the family and civil courts and the extension of the offence of threatening to disclose intimate images.

The Act also provides the new offence, as discussed in a previous podcast, of Non-fatal strangulation.

Other measures include:

  • Victims will have better access to special measures in the courtroom to help prevent intimidation – such as protective screens and giving evidence via video link.
  • new police powers, including Domestic Abuse Protection Notices
  • extending the controlling or coercive behaviour offence to cover post-separation abuse
  • explicitly recognise children as victims if they see, hear or experience the effects of abuse
  • establish in law the office of Domestic Abuse Commissioner and set out the Commissioner’s functions and powers
  • placing a duty on local authorities in England to provide support to victims of domestic abuse and their children in refuges and other safe accommodation
  • provide that all eligible homeless victims of domestic abuse automatically have ‘priority need’ for homelessness assistance
  • place the guidance supporting the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (“Clare’s law”) on a statutory footing

Sources:

We encourage anyone who has concerns about sexual abuse, domestic abuse or related matters, to get in touch with Alan Collins at [email protected]

Author bio

Alan Collins is one of the best known and most experienced solicitors in the field of child abuse litigation and has acted in many high profile cases, including the Jimmy Savile and Haut de la Garenne abuse scandals.  Alan has represented interested parties before public inquiries including the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, and IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse).

Internationally, Alan works in Australia, South East Asia, Uganda, Kenya, and California representing clients in high profile sexual abuse cases. Alan also spoke at the Third Regional Workshop on Justice for Children in East Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok hosted by Unicef and HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law).

Disclaimer: The information on the Hugh James website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. If you would like to ensure the commentary reflects current legislation, case law or best practice, please contact the blog author.

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