House of Commons - Home Affairs

Select Committee on Home Affairs Written Evidence

Domestic Violence, Forced Marriage and "Honour"-Based Violence eConsultation

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES

1. NATIONAL POLICY AND STRATEGY

An overarching cross-departmental strategy

Several respondents highlighted the need for a strategic integrated cross-departmental Government response to domestic violence, forced marriage and honour based violence. They outlined a variety of elements which should be included in such a response including awareness raising and training, prevention, education, crisis intervention, criminal justice intervention to deal with perpetrators and longer term support for victims.

Respondents emphasised associations between domestic violence and a wide variety of social problems which they felt should be recognised in a cross-governmental strategy:

"We can see links between [domestic violence] and so many things such as crime, substance misuse, housing problems, behavioural problems in children and young people, illness such as depression, anxiety and injuries, minor or otherwise" (Ali).

Respondents suggested that the Government should consider the high costs of domestic violence to the taxpayer and the savings that could be made by investing in prevention and support for victims:

"The cost of domestic abuse to the tax payer is in the billions. This is not including the emotional cost to victims and eg their friends, relatives and neighbours." (Front line).

"Victims of domestic violence are members of the community, tax payers and victims of crime so why are they not acknowledged as such by all those in a position to make a real difference and change lives and behaviours for many generations to come? Money is a small price to pay to reduce suffering and death and in very cold terms service provision is cost effective in the criminal justice system alone" (dias).

A gender based strategic approach?

Several respondents suggested that the cross-government strategy should be part of a broader programme of combating violence against women, which emphasises gender equality and protects women's rights. Scotland was cited as an example of good practice in this regard:

"If the British parliament adopted an anti-violence against women policy, within this the levels of violence would be recognised and acknowledged [including] front line services...children's workers...systematic awareness raising...all organisations having policies linked to performance indicators...women and children escaping violence would be risk assessed and given priority housing [and] benefits...CPS, police [and the] judiciary system would all be working together to bring perpetrators to justice...all women would be offered safety regardless of their British identity and all forms of current violence to women including the male abuse of women through prostitution would be recognised as such" (Ap1)

"I would like to see stricter legislation protecting women's rights" (Victim)

"Women and children have the right to live without violence or the fear of it" (Front line)

"Recognition that there is a war primarily against women and many children requiring all the powers of the State to fight with the same energetic approach and funding enthusiasm that is applied to wars" (Tiscali)

"If we continue to avoid discussion and debate around sexism and male dominance then we will continue to focus only on the paltry resources that have to be fought for on a daily basis. Changing men would ultimately mean that fewer resources would be required." (Radish)

"I'd also love to see the government get much tougher on the root causes of domestic abuse—gender inequality. Compulsory gender pay audits, equal maternity and paternity leave, improved women's pensions etc could all contribute to ending gender-based violence. But the government needs to be brave enough and radical enough to do these in the face of criticism from the usual suspects...I won't hold my breath" (Campaigner)

Other posters argued that taking this approach to domestic violence policy could be damaging and that current policy and funding is already inadequate for protecting and supporting male victims:

"Look at who commits the crime not the gender. Violence and abuse needs to be taken out of Gender Politics it damages children!" (NormalFather)

"Too many organisations have made [domestic violence] a campaign and as such have gendered the subject to support their campaign objectives...Domestic Violence is a people and society problem, and although statistics and research can be used to sell any message, the fact is, [domestic violence] affects everyone it touches and knows no boundaries between gender or race. Please ensure all future Government led [domestic violence] initiatives target perpetrators of either sex equally, and protect victims of either sex equally." (drthomas)

"If [domestic violence] is under reported across both genders, the truth has to be that men under report a lot more than women, given the myriad of support channels open to women compared with men. If you fix this, and turn this into a people issue and not a gender issue, you will reap the rewards of effecting change." (drthomas)

"There is a whole industry—very profitable [-] keeping women in a state of victimhood...lets move past the feminist rhetoric and have a more intelligent service based on the needs of victims not the needs of the charities egos and academics (mainly women) that are benefiting from this parasitical problem" (lorca)

"Redistribute existing funding of victim support, promotion and influencing-the-public-opinion-via-media in fair proportion to the number of male and female victims. Approximately 1/3 of victims are men. Funding men's support is non-existent." (Leo)

Some respondents looked more broadly than this and suggested that domestic violence should be viewed as a human rights issue:

"It is horrible to me that [domestic violence provision] does not exist in a country prideful of HUMAN RIGHTS.....wow what a dichotomy. The [government] uses those words when it fits them, and to be honest since arriving here in 2004 I have yet to recognise where the HUMAN RIGHTS occur. ???? Help me understand?" (nanbear)

"Domestic abuse/ forced marriages not only destroy one person or one family it ruins the lives of so many...Law enforcement is vital to eradicate this poison from our society as this act is clearly human rights abuse" (anonymous)

Local strategies

Some posters argued that a national strategy should be supported by local strategies for forced marriage:

"We need to work with community leaders and faith groups as well as women's group[s] to locally develop strategies that should fall in line with national set strategies and action plans" (anonymous)

A prevention strategy

There was significant support for an awareness raising campaign to prevent domestic violence and forced marriage by ensuring that it is understood as socially unacceptable:

"The government should adopt a campaign of making it socially unacceptable for domestic violence to be tolerated within our communities. Many attitudes in working class environments still see that hitting women (and to a lesser degree men) is completely normal. The kids witness this within the family and as it is not frowned upon—just accepted, the kids grow up and repeat the behaviours. Middle classes are also affected but it is more hidden because they are more ashamed of raising this" (Christmas).

Comprehensive services for victims

It was acknowledged that provision for victims of domestic violence had recently improved but many contributors wanted to see funding for comprehensive services to be made available to all victims, including children:

"Comprehensive services must be put in place nationally, offering transparent medical, legal, social et al support as a matter of course" (anonymous).

"Co-ordinated support from immediately after the incident until issues [are] resolved, be they criminal justice, housing, emotional, or other" (Trish).

"Proper funding for support and interventions...coupled with an open dialogue on the subject" (aztecanni).

"I would like to see a fully funded coordinated response so that the victims are able to access appropriate services including the response of the criminal justice system". (Frances)

"Each Borough or County should have a centre for victims with specialist staff on hand, a first port of call, they can advise and support the victim and refer the victim to relevant agencies" (anonymous).

"Government has to make appropriate provision for children and young people, both within refuge provision and in the community. This is both interventional and preventative. Children need help now which will also prevent future demands on health and social services" (anonymous).

"The forced marriage issue must be approached at many different levels. The first and foremost is the well-being of the potential victims by providing a culturally aware service, secondly the raising of awareness within education, social services, medical staff and any one that is likely to come into contact with forced marriage and then campaigning and tackling community groups" (Fatema).

A stronger criminal justice response

Several respondents placed emphasis on the importance of reinforcing the message that domestic violence must be dealt with primarily as a crime, for example, through tougher sentencing legislation and greater availability of perpetrator programmes:

"Society needs to be made aware that domestic abuse is a crime. `What goes on in the privacy of someone's home has got nothing to do with me'. We need to get rid of this way of thinking. Domestic violence matters. It must be made unacceptable in our society" (mari).

"There are many lessons to be learned from the hate crime models that have been developed in the country and linking these with [domestic violence] may have many benefits" (pureland).

"There needs to be tougher legislation and an increase in the number of prosecutions" (Front line)

"Stronger laws against perpetrators" (amosemper).

"A clear government strategy on how perpetrators will be educated supported and dealt with in the civil and criminal justice system. The perpetrator agenda needs to be looked at closely due to the limited number of perpetrator programmes available in the country and also the significant costs and implications on society due to the number of men who serially abuse" (Jane J).

This should be coupled with better protection for victims or witnesses reporting domestic violence:

324

More realistic family policy

A few participants argued that "family values" policies promoted the benefits of family relationships without acknowledging the damage that being in such relationships can cause:

"The constant threat of government legislation to promote family values, whether current government or the opposition, does not acknowledge the trauma women often face when remaining in an abusive relationship" (Franklin).

Development of employment policy

Employment policy, covering both victims and perpetrators, was underlined as another area which posters felt required development:

"Legislation for women who are working that are suffering from domestic violence to be able to have some paid time off. I had to sort this all out after I finished work at 5 pm" (lifeafter).

"Encourage employers to have a positive policy in relation to [domestic violence]—including procedures for people arrested or charged with [domestic violence] offences" (pureland).

2. THE NATURE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND BARRIERS TO SEEKING SUPPORT

The range of responses received highlighted the diverse nature of domestic violence, forced marriage and honour-based violence:

"An umbrella term which encompasses many unique situations" (harriann).

Physical abuse

Many victims described the physical abuse that they had endured from their partners and families:

"Imagine this scene being beaten so bad you just curl up and wish to die but then you hear him say he is going to kill you and the children with a gun you then realise you have to save your kids you panic and try to fight back in the mean time your toddler wakes up crying he then comes towards you with the gun at the time you have your toddler in your arms and a baby asleep you beg him not to shoot instead he throws the gun and comes at you and your daughter and punches you repeatedly in the face and head you both fall on the floor and feel like giving up" (louie).

"I left home after a series of violent incidents leading up to the imminent arrangement of a forced marriage to bring me `into line'. After leaving home the threat of being found by my family and what would happen was real and I lived scared for a good few years" (kka38)

"I was strangled by my ex-husband a few years ago. He released his hands when he thought I was dead" (bouncingback).

"I have been in a situation where violence is used in the relationship to mark particular times of pressures and difficulties which has been accentuated by alcohol, but also where violence is used to control decisions in the family and work" (peace).

Emotional abuse

A significant number of victims described the emotional impact of domestic violence:

"The physical violence is so bad you just give up with life sometimes but the emotional abuse is by far I (sic) worse and this is the one that is so hard to prove in a court the bruises heal but the damage he has done to you emotionally will probably never heal" (louie).

"It seems that when the abuse is emotional, no one knows how to deal with it, not even the courts" (Honey).

"Having experienced many kinds of abuse the physical abuse is horrible but the verbal and emotional abuse are far worse—no-one sees that and often people think you are the one with the problem not the abuser. The emotional abuse goes on for a long time and believe me that's what you need help with" (dot.com)

"My relationship with my ex lasted a number of years, he was predominantly emotionally abusive, regularly physically abusive, but to the outside world we were an ordinary happy couple. Before him I was a strong, bubbly, outgoing girl and with reflection I can't pinpoint the time that the relationship went down hill. The abuse wasn't sudden, the emotional [and] psychological abuse was gradual and then sustained throughout the relationship" (Reflective).

"Being a victim is disempowering" (Yet another battered wife).

Impact on health

Several respondents drew attention to the effects that domestic violence can have on physical and mental health, including post traumatic stress syndrome, chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety:

"When the court date arrived I was so stressed I was on antidepressants and having treatment for debilitating anxiety attacks" (Reflective).

"My mental health deteriorated and I started to have conversations with myself" (billo786).

"Before [experiencing domestic violence] I was a strong, bubbly, outgoing girl...I did suffer from panic attacks as a direct result and received treatment for this periodically throughout the relationship" (Reflective).

"I suffered post traumatic stress syndrome after that night" (louie).

"I already have chronic fatigue syndrome after my ordeals" (parijata).

"[For some victims] substance misuse has developed as a way of coping with the abuse, or as a result of the perpetrator influencing and even forcing the woman to use alcohol or drugs" (Front line).

Financial impact

Posters noted the financial impact on victims of domestic violence of leaving an abusive partner to start a new life:

"Most women I speak to who do not work at [the] time of abuse were frightened of leaving the security of finances of their partners...how would they afford to live and somewhere safe" (nanbear).

"The worst nightmare has been that to sell our house and split the remaining amount, would give barely enough to acquire one room, so I would have to dump most of my possessions and hobbies and give up my beloved garden" (parijata).

"I owned our lovely home with my ex husband and really did not want to leave and drag our children away from their own rooms, local friends etc. I had a small income of my own and used to save a little each month in order to escape" (marigold123).

"[Victims] should have the funds to start a new life...funding should be available for those who can't afford to go to court or move home if required" (freenow).

"I had to leave my nice home, my cars, all my belongings and a life which had taken me 25 years to build" (anonymous).

Victims of forced marriage and honour-based violence

A significant number of participants emphasised that forced marriage and honour-based violence are cultural and not religious issues:

"It is so hard talking about Forced Marriage coming from my ethnicity [and] religion...Muslims living in the UK are facing a crisis of a sense of not being accepted or belonging to society. It then does not help when topics such as Forced Marriage are branded with Muslims as that just frustrates us even more as ISLAM IS AGAINST FORCED MARRIAGES" (The Real Me).

"What does shock me, is when they do not whisper it, or at least try to make sure I don't hear them, they all freely say `It's their religion'. It's NOT `their' religion. Abuse is NOT anyone's religion" (hope).

"There is no religion I know of which allows forced marriages" (dare2connect).

"Many would see this as a religious issue, it's got nothing to do with religion, it is a CULTURE thing" (hswa786).

"Forced marriage should be seen as child abuse and not considered to be a cultural issue" (Jane J).

"Stop calling it `honour-based' crime. Call it murder, torture, kidnap or any other `real' term. There is nothing honourable in it" (Jane J).

Others argued that honour-related crimes should be considered within the framework of human rights:

"This act is clearly human rights abuse" (anonymous).

"We need the community and the professionals to understand this is a human rights issue...That every person has a right to make choices in their lives and that as professionals we should not hide behind "cultural issues" so cannot interfere, may upset the community etc. The attitudes and views on this subject are what used to be, and to some extent still is in the arena of domestic abuse" (anonymous).

Victims with insecure immigration status

One poster suggested that victims with insecure immigration status lack understanding of the immigration system and their rights:

"Most of the time such women have very little education, no independent means and no experience whatsoever of how to live in this country. They are completely at the mercy of their in-laws. Whilst they are on their probationary leave their status in this country, in practice, is also very much at the whim of their in laws as well. I would say that it is one of the most vulnerable if not the most vulnerable group" (Concerned).

Children

A number of posters acknowledged the emotional and physical harm caused to children by domestic violence and the practical impact it can have on their lives:

"Children caught in relationship breakdown suffer. They suffer more if they witness violence and anger between their parents" (anonymous).

"It has a huge emotional effect on the children who often have to leave friends, school and family behind" (female).

"My young child witnessed the attack and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" (anon0207).

"A group that does not appear to have received the attention they deserve are children where it is now recognised in child protection procedures that they will have experienced significant harm by seeing or hearing domestic violence. From my professional perspective I can see this in the correlation between a number of children who have difficulties at school and domestic violence. This can be seen in their behaviour generally, a noticeable change in their behaviour following contact with their violent father, the number of children with speech and language difficulties, the number of children who are diagnosed as having ADHD which may well be their response to having been exposed to domestic violence and the children identified as having special educational needs and/or receiving a statement of special educational needs" (Frances).

"I grew up in a violent household. My father used to drink and would come home on payday and beat my mum. As the oldest child I witnessed many violent outbursts. I would be afraid to sleep in case my mum needed help. I needed to keep an eye on my little sister in case she woke up, I may need to phone for help" (Read me please).

Barriers to seeking support

Emotional investment

Several contributors highlighted the difficulties victims experience in leaving abusive relationships:

"Women in my experience stay and stay and stay, and take abuse. It then becomes far too serious to ignore, and they have to flee. Meanwhile they have not called the police or been to the doctor regarding any of the things that [they] have been through. When couples are married and have children, there can be a lot of history and emotional investment to stay in that marriage. Add to that him saying he is devastated by what he's done, he'll change etc etc; in my opinion, many women bury their heads in the sand because they do not want their marriage to be over. They just pray that he will change. When it becomes apparent that he will not, they flee, come to us and have no Police evidence to back their claims up. They are then found not to be entitled to housing or immigration rights, because they have no paperwork to back their claims up. The fact that they have been terrorised for years and suffered physical and emotional injuries counts for nothing. Another factor at play here is that they often do not want to go to court or the police; they have had it up to the back teeth and just want everything to do with him over and done with. This harms them because in order to get help they need proof. But the burden of requirement for proof is directly contrary to the emotional needs of women" (Care worker).

"Many, many relationships break down after years of abuse and, whilst this is not recognised, women's experience is devalued and the survivors continue to be damaged by societal attitudes" (Franklin).

Lack of awareness of abuse

Some women are not aware that domestic violence is not the norm, and therefore they do not seek help:

"I believed that what went on indoors was between a husband and his wife, for better or worse" (survivor76).

"The victim needs to realise that they are indeed a victim. Many of us didn't know that is what we were" (mari).

"Awareness raising is so important. I have always considered myself to be very aware of issues, but it took me a long time to recognise that what I was suffering was domestic abuse, and as the abuse I suffered was mainly emotional and financial I felt wary of telling others as I didn't think I would be believed. It was only as the relationship became more physically violent that I began to think of ways to leave" (Magicae).

"I thought my abuser had anger issues he had to work through and that the abuse he showed me was my fault for "winding him up" (mari).

Fear

Several contributors stated that they had not contacted services due to fear:

"[I] only spoke (sic) in depth to close ones and relatives...I never contacted the public services available to [domestic violence] I WAS TOO SCARED" (lauren).

"Victims often minimise abuse or are too scared to do anything about it, so a lot of input is needed to help them and this can be a very long process" (Woman).

"One of the big barriers to seeking support is fear, and a sense of loss of identity, fear of loss of children, and especially of children being taken abroad" (Northampton Women).

"Nothing can protect you from the psychological fear that is drilled home to you regarding what happens when you dishonour the family" (kka38).

The importance of fear in making some victims reluctant to involve the police is discussed further in this summary, at Ev 490-493.

Culture

Participants suggested several reasons why victims of forced marriage and honour-based violence may be reluctant to seek support:

"There are complexities in seeking support from within diverse communities and there are concerns around confidentiality in small [and] inter connected communities" (pureland).

"I don't think victims of forced marriage feel like they can go anywhere to seek help" (NSPCC Children's Services Manager).

"In abuse children still love their parents and find it hard to `blame' them. Same with this whole issue, going outside of the family is punished and you are torn between loyalties and survival" (kka38).

"Another [victim of forced marriage] went through the great lengths that women had to go through to escape forced marriages—they had to keep away from their community, lie about their origins, and create a new identity (Northampton Women).

"There are a number of barriers to seeking support such as language, isolation, community pressure and lack of understanding within society but the main barrier for many women is the `no recourse to public funds' rule" (Jane J).

"There is a strong feeling of "acceptance" of the tradition of arranged (and if necessary forced) marriage amongst young women. Some young women do not see any alternative" (ict1921).

"It is so hard talking about forced marriages coming from my ethnicity [and] religion. Over the last few years a malignant form of hatred, directed against Muslims especially those of Pakistani origin has come to permeate British life. Muslim people as a whole are now being stereotyped not just as terrorists but also as backward, sexist, homophobic bigots whose intolerance and values threaten Britain's freedoms. Muslims in the UK are facing a crisis of a sense of not being accepted or belonging to society. It then does not help when topics such as forced marriage are branded with Muslims" (The Real Me).

Other barriers

Contributors also mentioned several other barriers to seeking support:

"It is quite easy to blame these victims of `wasting police time' when in reality there are many more cases of police not taking these incidents seriously or seeing further than a phone call ie perhaps the woman is too afraid to prosecute the partner? Perhaps she does not have the strength to leave him because he has destroyed her self esteem? These are very important questions the agencies should ask before labelling as a waste of time" (Seca).

"It is as if my whole life, as I knew it, has dissolved. My children and I have had to move, the children are in new schools and I have a new job" (nadine).

"LGB victims may have issues in seeking support if they are not out about their sexuality or the nature of their relationshih" (pureland).

3. PREVENTION

There was a perception amongst some respondents that prevention work is low on the Government agenda and is poorly funded. They suggested that there was a need for a consistent well funded long-term prevention programme:

"Prevention work is the key to all of this, to prevent another generation of victims and abusers, but it is poorly funded...and not high enough on the political agenda" (Campaigner).

"There should be more energy put into preventing domestic abuse rather than just reacting to it" (claire-health).

Public awareness

Several respondents felt that wider public recognition that domestic abuse affects people from all backgrounds and sectors of society was important. Some of these spoke of a particular need to raise awareness of men as victims:

"We need to raise awareness and draw attention to the secrecy that surrounds domestic abuse, particularly in those nice leafy suburbs where `this kind of thing doesn't happen'" (Ali).

"We need to get away from these myths that it's rare and that the victims are people from council estates who are too stupid to leave and just as bad as the perp[etrators]. We need to acknowledge that domestic violence is common, tragic and a very serious crime" (Sarahbelle).

"We must not forget the men that are subjected to domestic violence by women everyday" (scottie).

"The one single action that I believe will help overcome Domestic Violence and create greater awareness and support for all is to ditch the sexist, gender messages that are prevalent with this issue...Domestic Violence is a people and society problem...[domestic violence] affects everyone it touches and knows no boundaries between gender or race" (drthomas)

"There needs to be a holistic approach, there needs to be a BIG campaign to highlight the issue, [domestic violence] in diverse communities, particularly in Muslim communities is taboo, BME professionals supporting and campaigning to end violence are viewed as home wreckers, therefore, [domestic violence] IN ALL Communities must be raised as crucially important as a crime" (anonymous).

The last posting highlights the importance of raising public awareness of forced marriage and honour-based violence. This was supported by a number of other respondents:

"There is limited understanding of this issue, specifically the difference between forced marriage and arranged marriage" (azteccani).

"It is important to ensure an understanding of the difference between arranged and forced. Arranged is fine, I myself went through an arranged marriage. There were no pressures on me and I am in a happy relationship. Forced is different and we must understand the subtleties that work on this...emotional, psychological, physical etc" (anonymous).

"I agree with the need for there to be more awareness around this issue (of forced marriage, honour killings), including not only definitions, practices and legislation, but what it is like for those who have experienced it `from the inside' and the ripple effect into the wider community of such acts" (francois).

"I want people to stop and think about exactly what happens in these situations and stop jumping to preconceived ideas that include making our families sound barbaric or evil. I am NOT a supporter of Forced Marriage. But I get upset and angry with the attitude and stupidity of some people who make matters a million times worse" (The Real Me).

The importance of recognising that forced marriage and honour-based violence are cultural and not religious issues is discussed on Ev 478.

Several posters highlighted a need for victims and the wider public to recognise that domestic violence is not just about physical abuse:

"Those lucky enough not to experience [domestic violence] need to be made aware that aggressive behaviour, threats and bullying are underlying these relationships, and this is harder to recognise. Many women do not fully realise that that is what is happening to them. They may feel they are to blame for their partner's behaviour" (Franklin).

"Having experienced many kinds of abuse the physical abuse is horrible but the verbal and emotional abuse are far worse—no one sees that and often people think you are the one with the problem not the abuser" (dot.com).

"I was not aware that I was a victim of [domestic violence], I was raped by my ex (but my line of thought there was, can a husband rape his wife?) surely they were his rights? The physical scars well there are none but the emotional ones are deep. I believed that what went on indoors was between a husband and his wife, for better for worse, unfortunately half the population agrees with me...all living and hiding behind the shame, so to get to my point, you can advertise and offer all the support imaginable but until we recognize the abuse we are living in you are banging your head against the wall" (survivor76).

Coupled with this there was a perception amongst some respondents that society blames victims. For some victims this was linked with feelings of guilt, shame and a sense of blame at experiencing domestic violence:

"I have felt shame and I know that many people have judged me, not him. On the surface he is a very charming man...part of people being more aware about domestic violence surely has to involve an understanding of how these charming perpetrators operate, so that their denials are not met only by the victims shame and silence" (nadine).

"Stop making the women (or man) feel like the bad guy. They are victims and what happened was in no way their fault" (Justme).

Lack of identification by victims

According to several posters, including victims of domestic violence, the lack of public understanding also extends to victims who do not recognise their experiences as abuse:

"I honestly thought it was normal for men to hit...I feel women need to know that even if they raise their voice it is not OK for a man to physically hit them" (amosemper).

"The victim needs to realise that they are indeed a victim. Many of us didn't know that is what we were. I thought my abuser had anger issues he had to work through and that the abuse he showed towards me was my own fault for "winding him up" (mari).

Lack of self-awareness of perpetrators

Some respondents suggested that it was particularly important to educate potential perpetrators to understand that their actions are abusive and unacceptable:

"In my own experience I firmly believe that the perpetrator of the abuse towards me felt that it was his right as a man to control and dominate `his' woman. Unfortunately that is still a commonly held belief and it needs tackling at the roots" (claire-health).

"People in general fail to recognise the hidden influence and impact of domestic abuse ie the thinking, morals and values of the perpetrators that impact on families and hence society as a whole" (Front line).

"[The media] often normalises and can even glorify and make violence seem exciting. It also often blames the victims and excuses the perpetrators' behaviour making abuse seem an acceptable response" (Front line).

The role of education in raising awareness of domestic violence amongst children and young people is discussed further on Ev 487ff.

Increasing public awareness—a national information campaign?

Participants suggested there was a need for fundamental changes in public perception, attitudes and culture towards the acceptability of domestic violence, and that domestic violence should be seen as a collective responsibility of our society. Several posters suggested that a sea change in attitude was required to facilitate open dialogue, reveal the truth and unveil the secrecy that surrounds domestic violence:

"I firmly believe that the only way to tackle this huge and I mean huge dilemma is to pull the huge proverbial rug and get our hands very dirty and stop living lies, the truth is the future, the only way to obtain the truth is to stand up and stop hiding behind the secrets and that very visible veil of shame" (survivor76).

"A concerted effort to change society itself. We continue to deal with the symptoms of a whole range of men's violence, but it is the attitudes and behaviours of men themselves that must change...we have to overcome the magnitude and start to believe that changing society is believable and `do-able'" (Radish).

"PREVENTION through cultural change to stop all men's violence is what is most required" (Radish).

"Educate society by raising awareness and increasing understanding of what is happening to the victim emotionally" (mari).

"This needs a big shift in society" (survivor76).

Several respondents suggested this could be achieved through nationally funded high profile poster, newspaper, television and radio campaigns:

"There have been many high profile public campaigns which have helped change people's attitudes and contributed to making certain behaviours social unacceptable" (Front line).

"I suggest powerful prevention [and] promotion messages on TV, in newspapers (local and national)...with clear messages to the secret perpetrators that will hopefully `open their eyes' to their own behaviour and making clear to those who know that the abuse is going on, their responsibility to the victim and with the perpetrator" (ksurvives).

"A strong message that as a society (all communities within) we will not tolerate it" (Ali).

Another proposed that such an approach was the most "efficient, easiest and cost-effective idea" to tackle domestic violence.

Emphasis was placed on the importance of such a campaign being hard-hitting and parallels were drawn with the NSPCC's "Stop It Now" campaign against child abuse, "Think! Speeding Kills" driving campaign and recent anti-smoking campaigns. A number of examples of effective domestic violence campaigns were cited by respondents including a short-term poster and radio campaign by the Metropolitan Police and television adverts from the US, Australia and New Zealand on the You Tube website.

Some respondents made proposals for the types of messages which such a campaign should cover. These included encouraging victims and their friends, families and neighbours to involve the police, highlighting the various forms which domestic violence can take and the impact it can have on victims being trapped, traumatised and needing help not condemnation.

One contributor spoke of the value of awareness raising courses and gave the example of the Freedom Programme.

Raising awareness about forced marriage and honour-based violence within particular communities

In addition to the need to educate and engage the wider community it was emphasised that there was a need to raise awareness about forced marriage and honour based violence in particular communities where arranged marriage and notions of "honour" are more prevalent:

"Families...are still entrenched in this way of thinking" (kka38).

"It is about changing attitudes and beliefs within these communities. Without tackling this then we will always be reactive to the problem rather than preventing it from happening in the first place" (christmas).

"We cannot sit and wait for this practice to die out with future generations. We have to be proactive in bringing the matter to the fore, making it totally unacceptable" (Fatema).

"The question should be, is there adequate awareness within the communities in which forced marriage happens...I was forced into a marriage but my parents did not think it was wrong, they thought it was the right thing to do. So how are we going to educate people like my parents, how are we going to rewrite rules which have been in place for hundreds of years...that's what we should be thinking" (Sally).

"My parents would never think what they did to me was `forced'. They genuinely thought they knew what was best for me. In ALL relationships...there is always one party who thinks they know what is best for the other" (The Real Me).

Whilst there was some consensus that there was a need to engage local communities in efforts to raise awareness, there was disagreement amongst posters regarding the value of working with Muslim and other religious leaders to raise awareness of forced marriage and honour-based violence.

Some were positive and suggested that Imams could be engaged in order to raise the issue in mosques:

"I think it needs to be tackled at the root...talk to the Imam [sic] at the mosque. All Asian parents go to the mosque and some do get pumped by other elders so if the mosque is addressed then maybe the parents could see it differently" (billo786).

Women's groups need to work with Imams and together they can influence and change the views of families...having posters up on mosque notice boards, in community centres and Asian business premises, saying that this is wrong will help" (christmas).

"Muslim leaders also need to play their part" (Cllr Davison).

An Imam was credited by one respondent in supporting her to leave her marriage:

"It has been my religion and my local Imam that empowered me and enabled me to break the chains and come out of the marriage" (The Real Me).

"If we can get the support from... one [Imam] and others who are like-minded around the country it would be a start" (Fatema).

Others disagreed that Imams were the best route to raising awareness and preventing forced marriage:

"From my experience tackling the Imams, and other religious leaders in the community, isn't the answer, as to them this is a `taboo' issue...I know many Imams doing just this...it isn't happening...parents are right!!! It's for your own sake!!!" (hswa786).

"Its easy to say that the schools, community leaders, the Imams, religious leaders and others can solve this problem but each section [or] org[anisation] has their own duties to perform" (anonymous).

I know local leading members of the Muslim community who although they say they respect the laws in this country, still counsel women to go back to their abusive families in the name of "honour" (Cllr Davison).

One of these respondents further commented that those at risk may not feel comfortable speaking to an Imam about their fears:

"They don't know the meaning of the word confidentiality, before you get home the information would be with your parents" (hswa786).

Educating and supporting parents

Some respondents suggested that parental education would be valuable in raising parents' awareness of domestic violence:

"Investing in parenting and educating people about the effects that domestic violence has on children would help" (VoiceforVictims).

This was particularly emphasised in relation to forced marriage to raise awareness amongst parents so that they recognise that these practices are unacceptable:

"Parents need education to raise their awareness about the severity of the problem [of forced marriage]" (anonymous).

"Forced marriages will keep going on until parents are talked sense into and that would be to get other Asian support workers to go out and talk to parents informing them about the law and other concerns." (Billo786).

Participants spoke of a need to work with parents and families to raise awareness in a way which is culturally sensitive, supportive and not condemnatory:

"It is not just my community that has problems, in fact forced marriages are decreasing in my community only because a lot of parents have started to realise that maybe their child does actually know what is best for them" (The Real Me).

"Supporting parents is key as sometimes they too are under pressure to force—either from the extended family or other community members" (anonymous).

"However it is done, it will be perceived by some as attacking religion and culture. This means attempting to approach the matter with sensitivity" (Fatems).

Educating children and young people in schools

The need to build preventative messages into school teaching in both primary and secondary education was addressed by a significant number of respondents as an important component of a preventive strategy:

"The single action I'd like to see is the introduction of a consistent, well-funded, long-term prevention programme, integrated into school and pre-school curricula across the UK and included in teacher training" (Campaigner).

"Education, Education, Education is the key...it's not too late for the children" (survivor76).

"We should start with the young and make a commitment to educating young people in what a healthy relationship looks like" (Ali).

"Healthy relationships should be promoted from an early age—this should be mandatory within the education system" (Front line).

These respondents argued that the curriculum should be developed to cover domestic violence in a range of subjects including citizenship, Personal Social Health Education (PSHE), sex education, religious studies, relationships and sociology.

One respondent spoke of the particular need to educate boys regarding domestic violence. Others similarly suggested that school education should include an understanding of the dynamics behind abusive relationships:

"I think boys should be taught more in their early years about respect and care for future partners" (claire-health).

"Teenagers and young people need to be educated to make them aware of the risks and the patterns of behaviour to ensure that they realise that domestic abuse does not have to be physical and that emotional abuse to escalate to other forms of abuse in the future" (Jane J).

"If young people were taught the dynamics of what is right and wrong, they would more readily spot it" (Care worker).

"More and more young girls seem to regard being hit by their boyfriends as a badge of honour. Showing them where this type of attitude can lead and how it affects those around them would be a start" (peri249).

One poster highlighted the importance of educating both sexes on the unacceptability of violence against others:

"The comment[s] above implies the hitting of men is less acceptable than the hitting of women, I believe it is the complete opposite. Boys for years have been taught and had it drummed into them that it is not right to hit a girl. Counter to that, it is rare to hear girls educated not to hit boys. In fact I feel it is widely accepted that boys can be hit by girls and it is acceptable. Why? Is it because girls don't hit as hard and boy[s] are tougher? The comic T-shirts by David and Goliath demonstrate this prevalent attitude to hitting and hurting of boys...can you imagine the uproar if there were T-shirts promoting the hitting or throwing of rocks at girls because they are stupid?" (drthomas).

The role of the education system as a mechanism for preventing domestic violence was seen as particularly pertinent for forced marriage and honour based violence to ensure that young people who are potentially at risk understand their rights and get the support and advice they need:

"Education systems and teachers actually raising this issue with parents and finding out their attitudes towards the children may help" (christmas).

"Young people need support and advice [about forced marriage]" (anonymous).

"This is an issue we need to face head on, more publicity and education in our schools so that young girls who are brought up believe that honour is the most important thing in her life and that she must not bring shame on her family, are taught that it is in fact against the law in this country to force marriage and that she must be free to live her life the way she wants to" (CllrDavison).

"We do not have adequate educational programs in place to ensure that young citizens of recent immigrant families understand their rights in our society. These children may hold British passports but they are still living in their country of origin as far as their perception of rights and responsibilities are concerned" (ict1921).

"I think that the education system is very often in a key position to start to help such individuals" (zander).

A number of respondents described some areas in which schools required extra support in their response to preventing forced marriage, including the need to raise awareness of forced marriage amongst teachers and increasing their capacity to deal with it:

"Expectations are raised at school that young women should not have forced marriages, but then the schools do not have the means to deliver this" (Northampton women).

A former teacher stated "It came to my attention that many of the girls sought refuge through education to avoid marriage to an unwanted partner. The longer they pursued their studies...they could avoid the inevitable. I admit then I was completely ignorant about such matters. I was unable to offer any constructive help or advice" (zander).

One organisation which aimed to raise awareness of forced marriage had encountered some resistance in offering support to schools:

"Many schools will not give us the time of day for fear of upsetting parents. It is also quite telling that the schools most unwilling to talk to us are those in the areas that are probably most likely to have victims" (Fatema).

One respondent questioned whether teachers were the most appropriate personnel to promote awareness to children and parents in schools:

"It would be far better to have trained child protection officers whose job is to directly educate both children and parents in school" (ict1921).

Three respondents suggested that specific awareness raising programmes could be run in schools like, for example, the Freedom Programme for adults (see www.freedomprogramme.co.uk) or peer support groups:

"I belong to a support group the freedom programme (which is voluntary and national) but they work wonders, if this is a programme that could get into schools...its (sic) another good place to start" (survivor76).

"Youth peer groups [could be] developed to address child victims" (pureland).

"Start abuse awareness projects in schools to address the issues before hey start. It might also encourage children to disclose the fact they are living in [an] abusive household and to seek help for their mothers [or] carers" (claire-health).

Crisis intervention for young people experiencing abuse is discussed on Ev 490ff.

Training for teachers is discussed on Ev 487 and Ev 489-490.

4. IDENTIFICATION OF ABUSE

A range of agencies can play a role in identifying victims of domestic violence including schools, healthcare professionals and the immigration agency.

Schools and local authorities

According to contributors, teachers are in a clear position to recognise children and young people who are experiencing domestic abuse or violence themselves, or are seeing violence in the home. However several posters felt that schools' response to domestic violence could be improved, particularly in relation to understanding the impact it can have on a child's education and in providing appropriate support:

"Education and youth services are long way from being able to deal with this...in terms of the immediate service response" (Campaigner).

"Schools [and] teachers should be made aware who to contact when a child does not return to school or is removed from school for length time" (Jane J).

"Information should be taken into schools and made an issue of as a lot of children are suffering in silence and this will affect their education" (freenow).

Young people do not have many services to help them. My nephew was murdered at the age of 17. Who could he go to about his fears? Who would detect what his fears meant for risk? How can schools be best set up to provide a telling intervention? How can they be set up as institutions that young people can share fears with?" (tiscali).

"I recently had a 16 year old student who left school and accepted an arranged marriage as an alternative to unemployment as she was borderline special needs and had no real qualifications. This is a failure of the educational system to provide a pathway for a vulnerable group of women" (ict1921).

Several posters were critical of the education system in raising concerns about children who are absent from school and who could potentially be at risk of forced marriage:

"There is little or no action when young men and women are taken from school, to another country, and never return after their `holiday' (statistics bear this out)" (actecanni).

"The education system should report girls and boys that have been removed from schools immediately, they are aware of the situation, of girls and boys being removed for some time then coming back into the system to continue their education they know what is going on and that is child abuse, and against the law, this should be the first port of call for joined up working with other agencies" (Hellraiser).

Others spoke of the difficulties in following up possible cases of forced marriage amongst children absent from school and one suggested that a change in procedure is required to make it easier to interview potential victims:

"I know that some authorities find it difficult to investigate young Asian girls who disappear from the education system as they are not allowed by family members to interview the young girl alone, and are often accused of racism when they try to do so" (CllrDavison).

"If a young girl disappears from the school system, it is very difficult to gain access to her house without a relative being present, making it very difficult for her to say whether she is under any pressure, or to be honest about what is really happening. I think procedures need to be put in place where agencies work together to hold confidential interviews, in private, without any family members there who may intimidate her" (CllrDavison).

Again the issue of lack of guidance and training for teachers was raised (see Ev 489-490):

"It is not clear whether schools have the right access to other services to help them support students who may be at risk of being forced into marriage. It seems there is presently no guidance for schools, including guidance for working with parents who may be forcing their children into arranged marriages (Northampton women).

"Teachers should have training on forced marriage [and] domestic violence so that they are confident when a child comes to speak to them about their worries of being forced into a marriage" (Jane J).

"[The] Department for Education should engage in issues surrounding violence against women and teachers should be trained. Teachers need to have the ability and the confidence to be able to provide assistance, information and understanding to these children" (Jane J)

One poster highlighted the value of a good practice guide which has been produced in Northampton for dealing with victims of forced marriage. This is available to download from www.northamptonshire.gov.uk

Healthcare agencies

Some victims felt they were not taken seriously when they disclosed their experiences of domestic violence to GPs for example, and in some cases this had resulted in them being denied treatment or not being directed to support services:

"Mental health workers seem to underestimate time and again the effect of domestic violence on women. We are painted as mentally ill, weak, feeble, unstable, psychotic etc. No one ever asks "why does this woman present these symptoms?" We're doled out anti-depressants like smarties but never counselling advice or support" (Yet another battered wife).

"I first went for help to my GP. He gave me a course of anti-depressants and failed to refer me to any other agencies. I felt that he wasn't taking me seriously so I didn't bother going back or taking the tablets, which he has so helpfully nadine).

"When I told my GP what had happened to my daughter he said that this sounded very out of character for my husband. He'd met my husband three or four times" (nadine).

"I took my then partner to the doctor to see if her temper was because of a medical reason, the doctor said `no wonder you hit him' because I interrupted him during his suggestion of giving my then partner a prescription for vitamins to stop her severe mood swings" (george36).

"As I was regarded a very strong career woman, people do not understand how vulnerable I was. I was very scared and suffered very severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, which took long time for my GP to accept and for me to get treatment" (bouncingback).

One victim noted a positive experience of a nurse practitioner who had offered constructive support:

"The nurse practitioner...was enormously helpful. Without her I would never have approached Women's Aid" (nadine).

Training healthcare professionals

Several respondents suggested that training and guidance was required to challenge this lack of awareness:

"Professionals, doctors in particular, may well be the first port-of-call for victims...they need to be fully comfortable about asking questions, never backing out of this responsibility. Surgeries should make it very clear that the doctor can be approached about domestic violence...Confidentiality is a shallow excuse. Child protection is a good model" (ksurvives).

Immigration agencies

Three postings were received on strengthening the role of immigration agencies in identifying forced marriage:

"Don't you think it's wrong that an abusive partner from abroad gets indefinite leave to remain in UK stamped without an interview? I have read on websites that married couples get their indefinite leave to remain when they have stayed together for two years and all they have to do is pass a silly Life in the UK Test? I think that's insulting to victims of [domestic violence]. The best action here would be to have their indefinite leave to remain here status taken away and to just give them temporary visa or deportation...Please do something ASAP and reconsider how to deal with abusive partners from abroad" (victim).

"The argument for the spouse to be able to speak English before they arrive is a good suggestion although people from abroad may then encourage learning the language to overcome the barrier" (Fatema).

"I know there is a concession in the Immigration Rules for such women to claim permanent residency on the basis of their domestic violence. However the Home Office still insists on a level of evidence that is virtually impossible for the...victim to obtain. Such applications seem to take a very long time to process and victims often have to go to the courts to reverse the Home Office decision...In my view this is a regrettable instance of the Home Office playing politics on a vulnerable group. They need to be seen as tough on all immigrants generally, so they leave it to the courts to reverse the legally `dodgy' decisions." (Concerned).

Raising awareness among professionals

Some posters noted a lack of awareness and understanding of the issues among frontline professionals, particularly those in statutory agencies:

"There [should] be systematic awareness raising within all agencies and levels to forms of [domestic] violence and [its] effects" (Ap1).

"All agencies must be aware of the effects of [Domestic Violence] on primary and secondary victims" (anonymous).

"We need to ensure every public sector employee understands that the next victim may be calling them asking for help with housing or their children but really they are screaming inside for help to stop the abuse. They might even be working with a colleague in need of help" (Ali)

"Part of being more aware about domestic violence surely has to involve an understanding of how these charming perpetrators operate" (nadine).

The lack of understanding of forced marriage and honour-based violence was a particular issue:

"There is not enough understanding by the authorities of the actual dynamics of family honour/violence/forced marriage from the perspective of parents or the children who love them or are too scared to disobey...the real core of the issue lies in integration of cultures rather than separation, so that there is more transparency around customs and beliefs rather than ignorance" (kka38).

"There is also a fear to tackle cultural issues such as these, and sometimes due to cultural sensitivity gone too far" (dare2connect).

Respondents placed importance on professionals providing a culturally aware service and increasing their confidence to recognise and intervene in cases of forced marriage and honour based violence:

"As professionals we should not hide behind "cultural issues" so cannot interfere, may upset the community etc" (anonymous).

"I understand not everyone knows about `honour' based violence and abuse, but nobody wants to learn or even try to understand, it's always "out of our league". (hope).

"We need to start by asking people and organisations to stop making assumptions about victims and the communities we belong to. No matter how bad my community may be they are still my community. No matter how bad my family are they are still my family and I love them very much. Every time I sought help I was told what an evil community I came from and how barbaric and backward my parents were. This didn't help as I didn't want to hear this. I was pitied and looked at as if I came from some alien planet" (The Real Me).

One respondent sounded a note of caution:

"However it is done, [awareness raising] will be perceived by some as attacking religion and culture. This means attempting to approach the matter with sensitivity" (Fatema).

Training for professionals in understanding and identifying abuse

Respondents felt that public sector professionals should be better trained to give them the skills to recognise potential cases of domestic violence:

"More training by experts and victims to enable those tasked with assisting victims and survivors to see the problems through the eyes of the victim. This will help agencies understand the compromises and decisions of abused people which is very often about ensuring survival" (tiscali).

"Make sure first rate awareness training is in place from everyone from school children to senior judges" (anonumous).

Respondents suggested there was a need for training in order to tackle forced marriage and honour based violence in particular:

"Train professionals, to make them aware of cultural issues and steps they can take when faced with an individual who may be going through this." (dare2connect).

Training of public authorities is essential in this area [of force marriage] and the same can be said about professional bodies' understanding of honour-based violence" (Jane J).

"There is a huge need to educate professionals on signs, cultural beliefs, ways of identifying and supporting people going through a forced marriage. This does not mean the agency or professional is going against this victim's cultural needs, it means this person needs to be saved from further abuse and misery because she is marrying someone she doesn't know and/or is willing to come and live in Britain and her parents have promised her to do so" (Seca).

Some poster recognised there had been improvements in training and awareness for frontline public sector staff but thought better funding was needed to spread best practice. There were some suggestions that training should be made mandatory:

"Within all of the public sector areas domestic violence is started to be talked about at a training level. This however should be mandatory for all front line staff and should run alongside child protection [training] as the two are closely linked" (blackburn).

"There is a particular lack of funding for training front line staff in all agencies to identify domestic violence and support victims" (48a)

"Professionals must have better training than they currently get. I suggest the Government could fund [providers] to offer obligatory training and next year's Map of Gaps survey should cover those regions where the training requirement has not been taken up" (Yet another battered wife).

One contributor felt there should be inter-agency guidelines which all public sector employees should follow:

"The most important thing we can do [is] to ensure all of the basic level services are singing from the same hymn sheet. We need consistency [and] inter-agency guidelines (sic) that are fluid and transferable across all of our services. Same with training [multi-agency]. Domestic violence policies should also be created for public sector employees (should they need access to them. If every one had clear regulated guidance and how approaches matched [,] the victims needs would be met. At present we have varied approaches [,] differing training [and] guidance, and our own services (sic) views on how it should be managed. Lets (sic) get social care, health and local government combined with equality and keep the needs of the victim central" (blackburn).

Contributors similarly suggested that work to address forced marriage should be supported by clear policies about "intercultural" issues and the implementation of "culturally sensitive" practices:

"There needs to be a clearer policy (and protocols and procedures) within organisations about their position regarding `intercultural' issues. Organisations such as social care services for example will talk about being `culturally sensitive' when working with families but what does that mean? Are they aware of the distinctions [and] boundaries between being culturally respectful and condoning practices that bring people harm (the `back off' position when confronted with difference). I think organisations need to be more willing to gather all the relevant information and take a stand if necessary without labelling and blaming cultures, while providing support to help victims [and] survivors " (francois).

"All organisations [should] have policies linked to their performance indicators in taking this work forward" (Ap1).

5. CRISIS INTERVENTION

Many contributors highlighted the role of key agencies in providing crisis support to victims. One of the key concerns was the lack of immediacy of support:

"My partner was arrested for ABH for trying to kill me...but there was no protection for me at all...There should be immediate professional support and protection for women like me" (Frances).

Police

There were numerous postings on the police response to domestic violence, with victims frequently providing testimonies of their experiences of the police as a first response. It was clear from the mixed reactions of participants that police responses to victims were variable.

Some victims were positive about their experiences of involving the police:

"The police treated me really well, listened to me, I felt understood and believed" (andiecraft).

"The police who came out to rescue me were very kind, sympathetic and supportive and when my husband refused to agree to cease harassing me—but would leave to live with his parents—they escorted him from the house...they subsequently checked up to see if I was okay at intervals on the phone" (parijata).

"I didn't go to the police immediately as I was fearful that they would just slap his wrist and then he would come back and kill me, my mother persuaded me to go and the police were very supportive on the most part although seemed unsure of what he could actually be charged with (surely breaking and entering and attempted murder had he not been my ex [?])" (Reflective).

Other respondents raised concerns over the lack of immediacy of police responses to emergency calls and some suggested that the police should be more realistic in what they can do to protect and support victims:

"There is a significant gap between what many people think the police offer and the reality. I suspect it is a common misconception that the police will always take risk to help victims. I pay tribute to the many dead and injured officers who have done that but they frequently broke police rules in their sacrifice...I have read of a new policy of a police force which reinforces the commitment to protect the public and place police between the threat and those threatened, where feasible. It is the words "where feasible" that makes this member of the public doubtful of the help that will be sent in response to a 999 call. I do have experience of a police force promising a whole lot more than they were prepared to deliver. Two murders followed" (tiscali).

"The police told me to call anytime I was scared although the reality was, would he be kind enough to pause long enough for me to call the police and by the time they could of got to my rural home he would have had more than enough time to kill me" (Reflective).

"My sister was told what she could expect a response within ten minutes and that even a silent 999 call would bring the police. The actual response time was six hours and 42 minutes measured as the time from the start of the 999 call to when the police entered the house to find my sister dead" (tiscali).

"I called the police in the early hours scared for my life after being beaten and having something thrown at my head. I waited an hour cold, shivering and petrified of my ex-partner fearing he would break through the door I had shut myself behind to try to kill me. No police officer arrived...so again I dialled 999 and requested police assistance I was then left to wait another 45 minutes before the police finally arrived by which time I could literally have been dead...my home was already listed on the local DVU's `fast response' list" (Claire-health).

"There are "some" officers that still do not take violence seriously against a partner, or believe what the victim is saying" (ocean33).

Some respondents made suggestions for ways in which the police could close the gap between what the public believe they can offer in terms of public protection and the reality:

"The police must tell victims the truth about their response times and the types of response on offer. Then the victim's safety plan is accurately informed" (tiscali). 22a

"I think a good reason for calling a police force is because we require them to take a risk on our behalf. If there was no risk, we would surely contemplate managing issues ourselves. I think the police perpetuate this gap. I have experiences of the police telling a victim of their response only for them to admit afterwards it was not true. Forces vary of course, but I think we need a contract between the public and the police so this gap is closed" (tiscali).

Contributors suggested that the police had also promised more than they could deliver in relation to following up incidents of domestic violence which they had previously attended:

"I found the police very helpful at the beginning, when I first called them, but the follow up support was severely lacking. I was told a [domestic violence] policewoman would call in the next couple of days, but it took over two weeks for her to call me. She asked if there was anything I needed help with, I asked what kind of help she could offer, she said I obviously didn't need her then, and hung up. I couldn't believe I had waited for so long for so little" (Happynow).

"The first time I reported [domestic violence] with a previous boyfriend the police done absolutely nothing. I called them about five times and they always said that they would come to where I had fled to get a statement but they never came. So I called them asking if I could go to the station to give a statement and they wouldn't let me. They said that [domestic violence] can only be reported in the home" (amosemper).

"After reporting a domestic incident to the police and from fear withdrawing [the] complaint the answer given by an officer was that the domestic unit will be in touch to make sure the welfare of the [domestic violence] victim is safe. Not heard since...If complaints are withdrawn because of fear etc then the help should continue for victims as victims need to know someone is looking out for them and the abuser living with the victim would know that help is there so they would think twice" (victim).

"A couple of times I tried to phone the [domestic violence] department at the police station—as I had been warmly invited to do by officers on several occasions, should I need to—but on both occasions I met with an irritable WPC who the first time said the police weren't interested, I just had a `messy divorce'. The second occasion the reason given was that it had just been a `domestic argument'! She was not checking the information, and said she couldn't trace the officer involved even though I gave the exact date and time I had last spoken to him. I felt very depressed and humiliated after this, but have since heard other women say they have received the same treatment as me" (parijata).

"I was left...with little or no information regarding my ex's arrest [or] bail conditions and without a mobile phone. A male police officer finally came to inform me that my ex had been released five days afterwards at 11.30 at night. This was, quite frankly, very frightening" (anon0207).

"Following domestic violence... [against] my daughter...we tried to log this with the police and seek advice. When my daughter tried to make an appointment over the phone she was told that the police would come to her. When that happened she was told off because they thought she was in danger at that time. They didn't want to know unless he was actually hitting her " (anonymous).

Some participants specifically mentioned shortcomings in the police response to male victims of domestic violence:

"I feel the police should be more aware that females can be capable of domestic abuse and when called to a situation should do their utmost to be fair to both parties and listen and follow up on things that are said, domestic situations are not black and white, they need investigating as other crimes are. My son was accused yet it was his wife who was the perpetrator" (dab).

"There were several incidents where the neighbours phoned the police, each time they removed me from our home rather than my abusive partner. The police refused to take my claims seriously, preferring to leave our baby with her drunken mother despite the fact that I was the primary carer" 24a

"My friend was repeatedly attacked by his wife and did not retaliate. The police each time removed HIM "for his safety", rather than the perpetrator because she was a woman and there was a child" (george36).

Others drew attention to shortcomings in their response to forced marriage and honour based violence:

"A number of professionals do not have sufficient understanding and confidence when they are supporting and come into contact with women who have been forced into marriage or are in danger of so-called `honour' violence. A number of public authorities are in need of training or support ...especially after the case of Banaz Mahmod who feared for her safety and reported this to the police on at least four occasions without receiving protection from them" (Jane J).

"There is a lack of response from the police on the issue [of honour based violence]" (Northampton women).

A few victims reported being abused by partners who were themselves police officers and suggested that police policies should be strengthened in this regard:

"My ex is also a policeman who knew how to work the systems and behave in front of the police" (hk66).

"In spite of many independent witness statements of his violence towards myself and my child during the court hearings, the court was notified that the police deemed no action [was] required on the assault upon myself without even contacting or interviewing me...To this day I wonder whether friends in the police covered up for him...He has been using his knowledge of his police role to circulate vast inaccuracies with the sole purpose of isolating me and intimidating me. If the police cannot be trusted [then] who can we turn to for help. Having reviewed the Assistant Chief Constables Forum (ACPO) they apparently are cracking down on domestic violence [but] from my experience they should start by putting their own house in order" (dot.com).

"Officers applying to join domestic abuse units must declare if they have committed domestic abuse. This won't stop lying but it will make their removal from office easier if they are shown to have lied" (tiscali).

Two posters suggested that shortcomings in the police response could be the result of a lack of adequate resources and capacity to deal with domestic abuse:

"I live in a small market town and although the local police have a campaign showing that they want to take domestic violence seriously they just don't have the resources for it or clout to follow allegations through sufficiently enough for the protection of victims, unfortunately I experienced this first hand. The only time I was brave enough to contact the police my ex-partner was released the same evening" (kpelt).

"The police are constantly stretched and realistically only have capacity to really make a difference to the high risk victims. Yet many of the lower risk will one day become the high risk" (Ali).

A few respondents suggested that the police had been negligent in their cases and some had made formal complaints as a result:

"I called the police after my ex-husband tried to strangle me, [he] had been threatening and verbally abusive all night and said he would put me through days of sleep deprivation. The officer who I spoke to asked me if I really wanted flashing blue lights outside my house with all the neighbours watching and told me to call back in the morning when things had calmed down! I was utterly horrified and realised I had to deal with the situation on my own. I never rang them again. That was nearly 10 years ago. I hope the police have improved since then" (marigold123).

"My ex-partner violently kicked me and dragged me all around his flat...as soon as I arrived at my parents I called the police and told them what had happened, I was informed that an officer would visit me the next day at home. The following day a male officer alone visited me at home. I explained everything that happened whilst also explaining that I was due in court the following month as a witness for a pending assault on myself from my ex partner...This officer told me that if I were to make a statement it would undermine the pending court case?? Because I was so nervous I followed his advice, at the same time this officer wrote in his pocket book that the assault had never took place and persuaded me to sign it. Regrettably I did. I was to be informed at a later date...that this officer SHOULD of took a statement" (ocean33).

"I was strangled by my ex-husband a few years ago...the police was informed that I was strangled, but he asked me if I wanted my husband to be arrested. I was very scared...I said I do not know. I need to go to hospital first...later that police [officer] was demoted due to his negligence. But it was too late for me. Because the police's negligence...he got away with much lesser sentence than he deserved" (bouncingback).

Some victims reported that they had found it difficult to decide how the police should respond to the situation in terms of removing the perpetrator and charging them:

"They spoke to my partner first and not me which immediately gave him control over the situation...they then asked me what I wanted...did I want him to be arrested. How ridiculous to put a victim of abuse who has been obviously beaten and scared witless in that situation. I was so scared of the repercussions if he was arrested that I said no and asked that they remove him from the property...The police should not ask the victim if she wants the perpetrator to be arrested...because usually she will say no due to fear. They should take statements and look at the presenting evidence and make the decision to arrest themselves" (claire-health).

"The police were very pushy for me to press charges I did but dropped them as I was more scared than ever" (women centre).

"This pushiness is something I have heard of before. Perhaps it is because they are made aware of the "zero tolerance" policy operated in their force areas and feels this is what they have to do...My view is that the victims (sic) views are the most important. They should be free to voice their needs and if community support is what they want then so be it...One size and approach will not fit all" (zander).

Others drew parallels with charging in cases of violence against strangers and felt that a "zero tolerance" approach should be taken regardless of the victims' views:

"When an offence is committed the perpetrator should without exception be arrested and charged. If an individual is attacked by a stranger this is an automatic response yet victims of domestic abuse can be put in the uncomfortable and often dangerous position of being asked if they want to press charges" (Front line).

"We need to make victims know that if they use an agency such as police and then do not enter into changing the abusive relationship by either leaving it or going on behavioural [or] relationship programmes then they will get fined. All to[o] often police are called out to act as referee or used as a power game to get back at the perpetrator, this sends the wrong message about what the role of agencies are for in this situation and also encourages lack of personal responsibility in both parties" (lorca).

One participant suggested that there was a lower frequency of charges of female perpetrators despite them reportedly committing a higher number of incidents of domestic violence:

"NOT to confuse the proportion of those CHARGED or CONVICTED: the chances of a man being convicted as about 10 times higher than of a woman. NOT to confuse the proportion of victims with the proportion of incidents: statistically there are more incidents per single woman than per single man" (Leo).

Police training

"I ask all police officers who don't know how to do their job to seek training. I ask all those who don't wish to do their job properly to resign" (tiscali).

"Ongoing specialist training is essential to all police officers" (Jane J).

"Ensure that all police are trained in dealing with such situations as the response from some officers is not always sympathetic—they do not seem to understand that something seemingly innocent to them like a phone message can actually be very intimidating and frightening for the victim" (hk66).

One poster made the following suggestions for improving the police response to domestic violence:

"All police forces must know what to do when domestic abuse is reported. All officers must recognise that emotional/psychological/financial abuse requires a total response too. All officers must recognise that sexual abuse is abuse too (some officers are just looking for black eyes)... [domestic violence] units must be joined up with CID sharing information safely and intelligently designed to ensure dynamic risk assessments are timely. Police record keeping needs to improve. Often it is the cumulative history that enables others to identify risk" (tiscali).

See also Ev 489-490 on training of all front-line professionals.

Crisis housing

A number of participants raised the need for more safe refuge beds for men, women and children fleeing domestic violence. In particular they felt there was inadequate provision for men, those with mental health and drugs or alcohol needs, those without English as a first language, and women with older male children or children with disabilities. Geographical disparities in refuge provision were also highlighted:

"I'd like to see a safe, government-funded place in every borough/county, with a trained counsellor on hand night and day, plus beds. A first port of call for women experiencing domestic violence...a true safe haven" (lux1234).

"The other important thing is having enough spaces in refuges" (Happynow).

"Refuge provision differs dramatically from one area to the next. I live in an area with 150,000 residents but we only have seven refuge beds, whereas 20 miles away in a neighbouring authority they have 15. We also need provision to be more flexible, ours only accepts women and will not accept teenage boys over the age of 13" (CllrDavison).

"Improved funding for VAW services including refuges" (Campaigner).

"There is a gap for women who have higher needs ie mental health, drug or alcohol issues...the ultimate need of a woman who is fleeing is a bed and safe place to live in order to get herself back on her feet. I feel for women who have higher needs there should be more 24 hour staffed Refuges" (amosemper).

"[There are] very few services for male survivors, certainly if refuge space is required" (Trish).

"Frontline services such as safe refuge spaces, with bilingual workers as and when needed" (Ap1).

"Centre[s] that can offer a bed for the night for a victim [of forced marriage]" (anonymous).

"Sustainable funding should be made available to specialised refuge services to enable them to accommodate women who have experienced domestic abuse and have additional mental health problems, misused alcohol, used illegal substances, are disabled, are from same sex relationships or who presents a risk, or potential risk, to children or have a criminal record" (Jane J).

"There is only one refuge for women with substance abuse problems, and that is in Northamptonshire" (Northampton women).

The manager of a refuge outlined her fears that recent changes to commissioning arrangements may result in fewer refuges:

"The competitive environment will more than likely result in this high quality provision being replaced by a cheaper alternative from an inexperienced provider, as has been our recent experience with the Floating Support contract, won in my region by a generic floating support provider. This has brought an end to the refuge aftercare service" (anonymous).

"Domestic violence refuges need more funding and safe house or temporary sheltered accommodation could be created where multi-disciplinary outreach services could access" (blackburn).

A few respondents reported negative experiences of refuges:

"In a number of discussions I have had with victims who have experienced the refuge system (in some cases not all) have felt powerless and out of control whilst in the refuge, with lots of rules and regulations, directing them to see a particular divorce lawyer, and telling them they must divorce and never communicate with them or allow the children to see them" (female).

"I did make the decision to go with my children to a Refuge and was rehoused on the other side of the country. I was just let to get on with the move, no support, no back up, no introductions to any kind of follow on or support services" (anon0207).

"Remove the monopoly that currently exists in refuge provision away from women's' aid agencies and open transparent and good quality services for those that need to leave. Or better still make the perpetrator move into a refuge and let the refuges be run by women's aid—after living with that regime they certainly won't act violent again" (lorca).

"The feminist movement never asked victims if they wanted to be shoved into refuges in the first place, they needed help to get away from the abuse that's all!!! We punished the victim and not the perpetrator" (lorca).

"Why send women and children to refuges? Workhouses for the 21st century" (Stockport).

Some questioned the high cost of refuge provision and felt that other forms of accommodation and support would be more appropriate and cost-effective in meeting victims' needs:

"[The] cost of refuges are extremely high, it would be more cost effective if local authorities had satellite properties, I feel that when a woman has fled she is carrying a lot of trauma with her putting her in an environment full of complete strangers who have their own tragedies places her in a more stressful situation. Floating support workers could visit the women every day and provide with support and advice...when refuges were first created they were a fantastic idea but I think now...it would be better to provide flats or houses for women who are fleeing on a temporary basis" (sk).

"Shut refuges—spend the money on community based support...alternatives to refuges would be better, and save money—how much money is spent on refuges for very small numbers of women, when all that money could be better spent on outreach [,] housing [and] alternatives to refuge[s] " (Stockport).

"All the money spent on refuges could be spent on outreach, responsibility for safe houses in self contained property could be given to local councils. Staff ratios in refuges are about one worker to two women, in outreach this is one worker to 12 women, providing the same service. Most of the work that refuge workers do is admin, health and safety, cleaning, [and] housing management" (Stockport).

Five posters commented that refuge provision is based on the premise of the victim rather than the perpetrator having to move away from their home. They felt there was a need for integrated services to protect and support the family unit and for accommodation to be made available for perpetrators:

"The action that would have helped me would have been able to stay in my own home, instead of moving my children away. Women should be able to feel safe in the homes that mostly they had built. Women suffer from the violence, the man does this, yet in a lot of cases he has the marital home. The woman ends up having to start all over again" (lifeafter).

"As it stands hundreds of thousands of women and children every year have to flee their homes from domestic abuse...this upheaval has a significant impact on women but also on their children...the men in the majority of cases remain at home. Emergency accommodation should be made available for perpetrators so that women don't always have to be the ones to leave" (Jane J).

"What most victims want is for the abuse and control to stop, and to stay in their own homes. Perhaps refuges on the other side of the country should be taking in perpetrators who are not residents of that area, where they are closely monitored and told what to do!" (female).

"Let's not forget it is cheaper, better for the family and community for the victim to stay in the community and for the perpetrator to be tagged and removed from the area. Obviously women's aid organisations will bleat on about the possible death issue and not to minimise it all women are no safer in refuges on the whole!!!" (lorca).

"Why should women and children leave homes, all their stuff, friends, family, jobs, school and the dog?" (Stockport).

Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVAs)

Participants were encouraged to give their experiences of MARACs and IDVAs, but there were very few contributions on these provisions. Some posters did however raise the importance of multi-agency work and the inadequacy of funding to support women and men suffering high risk domestic violence. They also suggested that IDVAs and MARACs should be at the centre of such work:

"I am heartened by the recent advances in the criminal justice system" (anonymous).

"Being able to access all agencies together, when needed, is vital so I would suggest creating solid funding streams to develop IDVA services" (pinky).

"Multi agency working will allow a more co-ordinated response. It would be integral I feel for the IDVA service to be of core importance in bringing the agencies together" (Natasha7).

"When agencies understand how important [the MARAC] is to the continued safety of the client, [it] can be extremely effective. Agencies really need to `buy' into the concept" (hope through help).

"The provision for all services needs to be reviewed. MARAC and IDVA's are for high risk cases which is important as all services such as housing, police, ss [social services], refuge and lots more all get together monthly and can put in place things like panic rooms, alarms its all about Murder Prevention" (angels).

Impact of focus on high-risk cases

Several contributors suggested that there is a gap in provision of support to low risk victims of domestic abuse. They highlighted the value of outreach support, in particular for lower risk victims but suggested that such provision is decreasing. There was also some concern that the introduction of IDVAs and MARACs has had a detrimental effect on the provision of outreach services to lower risk victims:

"Survivors of [domestic violence] are best helped to build their lives with outreach work, gaps in the provision, are gaping, once where there were outreach workers we now have the IDVA, who DO NOT DO THE SAME SORT OF WORK. (I speak as one who knows) low risk women, do not fall into the IDVA's role, low risk left unsupported eventually become high risk" (angels).

"My concern is a lot of focus is being placed on high level risk with the monthly MARAC meetings but I am fearful that the impact on continual low-level domestic violence will be interpreted wrong...the judgement of low/high level is perceived by others and I wonder whether we are going to get variances in thresholds" (blackburn).

"Outreach in rural areas is so important as this is sometimes the only service that [domestic violence] sufferers and survivors can access, more and more outreach are being closed because of funding" (angels).

"IDVAs are very different...IDVAs could focus on the high risk, outreach all the rest" (Stockport).

"Even though there is now a drive to help victims of [domestic violence], why are some services being closed down?? I was told yesterday that the outreach project in my area was being stopped, which means that unless you go into a refuge, you will be turned away!!" (lis7901).

6. SUPPORT AND SURVIVAL

Other support services for domestic violence are often provided by the voluntary sector. Contributors highlighted the need for flexibility in responses to meet diverse needs of all victims:

"As a `survivor' of domestic violence and a professional stakeholder, I can only speak from my own experience and I understand that everyone's experience is specific so I first feel we need a range of responses for different situations" (peace).

"There are so many voices out there and each and every one of us is unique. We may agree on some things but we don't agree on everything. What may help one person will not necessarily help another. This needs to be acknowledged—one service does not fit all" (The Real Me).

A few participants commented on the nature of support required to meet victims' needs:

"Understanding non judgemental [support]...is very important it lets women know they are not alone and someone does understand what they are going through" (Seca).

"We should also not be judgmental when the victim returns to the abuser—this process we know can be repeated many times for various reasons but our job is to help them gradually build up their strength until one day they leave for good" (blackburn).

"Providing a survivor centred approach...a range of services, sufficiently flexible to meet an individual's need. An approach that encourages empowerment and self determination...participation in developing services to address their needs in the future" (andiecraft).

There was consensus that there is not enough support for victims and where it is available it is not sustainable or holistic enough:

"Most of the work already done relies on goodwill" (Ali).

Several contributors felt that each area should have a service which victims could use as the first port of call for advice, counselling and support:

"There needs to be more centres [where] women can access advice and support and where women can go and talk to other women that have experienced it" (women centre).

"A safe, government-funded place in every borough / county, with a trained counsellor on hand night and day, plus beds. A first port-of-call for women experiencing domestic violence. If this place was full, the staff would make some calls and find you somewhere to stay, they would never turn anyone away. You would be able to get practical non-judgemental advice on housing, pressing charges, custody, divorce proceedings, restraining orders, benefits, etc. This place would be heavily advertised / publicised so that as many women as possible knew about it. A true safe haven" (lux1234).

"The damage caused is long term and far reaching—support must be made available long term" (Magicae).

A few participants gave examples of support services which they had found helpful:

"I was very fortunate as in my area two social workers had taken it upon themselves to provide a service to women who had experienced domestic abuse...the service really operates on the good will of the social workers and support staff's determination to address this problem. The service provided by them is split into three areas, group 1 a support group while waiting to attend group 2, a ten week programme designed to empower women to understand the effects of abuse on their mental health, self esteem and confidence and group 3 a self help group. If it had not been for the service provided (WINGS) there would not have been anywhere I could have gone to" (andiecraft).

Support services: a postcode lottery

A significant number of posters highlighted geographical disparities in the provision of support services. Some suggested that gaps in provision were particularly apparent in rural areas:

"An end to the `postcode' lottery of specialised (third sector) service provision for women who experience domestic and sexual violence. It is absolutely ridiculous that some women can expect to receive support from well-funded and supported local service providers, whilst others...will receive no support at all" (angie).

"Continuity of provision, and a dedicated support network which is easily accessible...some areas provide 24 hour help and advice whereas in others, you need to be a victim Monday to Friday between the hours of 9-5!" (CllrDavison).

"Considering how prevalent and serious domestic violence is—there should be blanket coverage of high quality services over the entire country as a matter of priority. What is the point of spending money on national defence if one in four women are not even safe in their own homes? I live in a town of 20,000 people in the South of England. There are NO domestic violence services here" (Woman).

"Post code lottery. Some areas have fantastic, co-ordinated services, others have virtually none" (Trish).

"There isn't any provision to support women in a rural setting [in my area]" (Seca).

One respondent suggested that finding support was problematic for all victims:

"All women from any background go through a harrowing experience trying to find help" (anonymous).

However, it was clear from other contributions that there were disparities in provision of specialist support to particular groups, including single women, men, people in same sex relationships, BME, disabled and those with mental health problems:

"Particular efforts must be made to ensure that services are available to groups who may be marginalised, including women from minority ethnic communities, disabled women, older women and women in same sex relationships" (andiecraft).

"Services are skewed towards women with children as victims [or] survivors of [domestic violence]. What about woman with out children, women whose children have grown and left home, men with children, men with out children, those in same sex relationships and other familial relationships—these people there is little to nothing for" (aztecanni).

"Specialist LGB groups may not always have the capacity or expertise to address [domestic violence] in same sex relationships and many agencies see the asking of sexuality in terms of equality monitoring as difficult" (pureland.)

"There are also some very important gaps, for example for...women with substance abuse problems...women with no recourse to public funds...male victims of domestic violence, who are on the increase...services for domestic violence [for victims] with disabilities, especially in the area of mental health" (Northampton women).

"Greater need for culturally specific services" (Trish).

"I would suggest that we need more (state) provision for sufferers of emotional abuse" (lux1234).

Support for victims of forced marriage and honour based violence

Many contributors mentioned the particular lack of services for victims of forced marriage and honour based violence:

"There are not enough support services and as yet not a clear pathway for people who are being forced into marriage against their will" (anonymous).

"We only know a couple of Asian women led voluntary organisations and the Forced Marriage Unit opened as a response to the campaigning carried out by voluntary organisations...There is not enough support for victims, there is no first port of call, again it would be a centre for victims of all [domestic violence] crimes to receive advice, support and advocacy" (anonymous).

"It is difficult to assess whether there are adequate support services for people who are forced into marriages without first assessing the honest number of people out there who are going through this" (dare2connect).

"Karma Nirvana has been working very hard...providing support to many victims of forced marriage and [honour based violence] HBV, however, as far as I am aware more funding needs to be available for these organisations to provide a more efficient and effective service" (Seca).

"No, there aren't enough support services because again when these young women try to say what is happening they are either ignored or sent back home" (Seca).

"There are not enough organisations in the country to help, there are only a handful of agencies but [they are] not well financed to help, mostly voluntary women's organisation[s], our organisation is volunteered by women [who] spend there...time supporting and assisting victims to rebuild their lives. You need to find out how many organisations help victims of honour based crimes, fund those organisations" (anonymous).

"I have worked for a voluntary agency supporting victims of forced marriage and `honour' based violence...they are trying to do too much in order to `spread the word'... [and] they do not have enough funds or staff to do this and at the same time to support the hundreds of victims that seek their support from all over the country" (Seca).

Some respondents questioned the quality of the limited support that is available for victims of forced marriage and honour based violence:

"As a person trying desperately to get away partly from this situation and partly from other forms of abuse, I have spoken to many people...I have found everyone can give a shoulder to cry on, a sympathetic ear and all the promises in the land. Sadly not a single one has materialised...When I first talked to these different professionals about what I had been going through, every single one pulled the face of disgust and gave me the sympathy. But at the end the answer is always the same, "sorry there is nothing more we can do for you". I find this very annoying and it makes me angry because they have usually done nothing for me in the first place... I have told these professionals not only about what I am running from, but also the fear that controls me, knowing that one day I could be found. They have seen how I live, but still they either don't or won't help" (hope).

"We need to stop making assumptions about victims and the communities we belong to... Even organisations set up by those claiming to be the experts were useless—most of the people there ended up forcing you back to the situation or couldn't stop gossiping about me behind my back" (The Real Me).

"The Government needs to stop trusting the usual suspects or those who claim to be `the experts'. This results in funds being channelled into organisations that have set ways of working, set views and specific client bases. The sad thing is that they all claim to do everything the Government wants them to do but the sad reality on the ground is somewhat different...I want you to realise that whatever you are doing it is not working and all the fancy new projects and organisations that are coming up are just taking vital funds but are making absolutely no difference whatsoever to the heart of the problem. This can only be achieved through education and sensitive work with families at a much earlier stage of a child's life" (The Real Me).

The nature of forced marriage and honour based violence can create difficulties for those providing support services, in particular the need to overcome cultural issues:

"I think it is very difficult for agencies to provide support [for honour based violence] because there are so many factors" (kka38).

"A number of professionals do not have sufficient understanding and confidence when they are supporting and come into contact with women who have been forced into marriage or are in danger of so-called `honour' violence... [as shown by] the case of Banaz Mahmod who feared for her safety and reported this to the police on at least four occasions without receiving protection from them" (Jane J).

"As professionals we should not hide behind "cultural issues" so cannot interfere, may upset the community etc" (anonymous).

"I think organisations need to be more willing to gather all the relevant information and take a stand if necessary without labelling and blaming cultures, while providing support to help victims [and] survivors" (francois).

"[Honour based violence] remains very much an issue of culture and people are reluctant to involve themselves" (Cllr Davison).

This was echoed by respondents representing support organisations:

"Providing support services can be hard—staff from the affected communities who work in this area can find themselves under pressure or even threatened by people in the community" (Northampton women).

"We work closely with colleges and domestic violence groups and are currently trying to build links with schools...this has been an uphill struggle" (Fatema).

"[We are] tied in how we are accepted as a group supporting victims that are perceived as being disobedient" (Fatema).

"However it is done, it will be perceived by some as attacking religion and culture" (Fatema).

See also Ev 489 on awareness raising of professionals and the need for more cultural sensitivity.

Participants felt that a range of services were required to meet the diverse needs of victims of forced marriage and honour based violence:

"We need to be able to give practical help in terms in safeguarding victims not just giving them tea and sympathy" (christmas).

"[There is a] need for specialist staff who can support and counsel young and older victims" (anonymous).

One contributor noted the importance of follow-up support to help victims move on after they have escaped abuse:

"The follow up after these victims run away from a forced marriage is very important as well, as they become totally isolated from their community and family and they need further support to help them move on with their lives...when they are trying to adapt to a different world without the support of their close knit families" (Seca).

Others highlighted the value of telephone and email advice in meeting the support needs of victims:

"One victim of a forced marriage said that the Forced Marriage Unit at the Home Office was helpful in providing information" (Northampton Women).

"We attempt to offer support, guidance and help in whatever capacity we are able to. We often find that the best way is through email or over the phone. For young Asian women these would be the safest ways, they would not have the freedom or time to visit our office" (Fatema).

One respondent stated that poor language skills can prevent the use of helplines for the most vulnerable:

"Although there may be a role for helplines, my experience of working with at-risk young women is that the most at risk would not be able to use them because of poor language or communication skills" (ict1921).

Another suggested that this could be overcome by the provision of internet advice or the use of peer support projects:

"Given the problems encountered perhaps an internet helpline might be the way forward" (zander).

"Some work was...undertaken...to encourage mutual support, and provide [Somali women] with training" (Northampton women).

Support for victims with insecure immigration status

A few participants felt that support for victims with insecure immigration status should be strengthened:

"Those who have no recourse to public funds often face the starkest choice, either return to the perpetrator or face destitution. There have been cases where women have had their children taken into care because they have no financial resources and can claim nothing. This is nothing short of disgraceful" (nadine).

"Proper legal protection for women without recourse to public funds" (Campaigner).

"Clearly all the victims of domestic violence and forced marriages deserve a proper response from public bodies. But most of these victims at least have the ability to speak English, are British and know their rights (even if they cannot actually exercise them). From my experience as someone from a Pakistani background who has seen abuses happen in the wider family, and has been left to help the victim in one such situation to pick up the pieces, I would say that one particular type of victim who does not get much attention is the wife who has come from, say, Pakistan on a spouse visa. Most of the time, such women have very little education, no independent means and no experience whatsoever of how to live in this country. They are completely at the mercy of their in-laws. Whilst they are on they probationary leave their status in this country, in practice, is also very much at the whim of their in laws as well. I would say that this is one of the most vulnerable if not the most vulnerable group. However, in my view because they are immigrants, I think this is one of the groups that receive the least sympathy and attention—such women are in fact invisible" (Concerned).

One poster raised a need for support to be provided by people with particular expertise:

"The other crucial factor from what I have seen of all the instances of women who have successfully escaped from such abusive relationships is that they have been fortunate enough to have had the assistance of someone who has some experience of how things work in this country. Women who do not have this assistance go on suffering for many years and the abuse might be getting worse—this is the most vulnerable group" (Concerned).

Support for male victims

The lack of support for male victims was raised as an issue but no postings were received on the nature of support needed by male victims.

Sustainability of funding and service closures

Contributors reported that recent funding reductions, the short term nature of funding and the lack of priority given to local commissioning of domestic violence services, were further reducing already limited provision:

"Projects come and go, usually to coincide with the way that funding is applied, inner cit[ies] fare well, but that is not the case with rural area[s]...we all get projects up and running three years on with full client books, evidence of need within the community, after three years other professional[s] (sic) have got the message your project is best place to help this client group, after three years the Local Council or the community safety are expected to fund this project, the project finishes, for almost 12 months later referrals are still being placed" (Hellraiser).

"Ring fenced [domestic violence] funding was removed a few years back even though it was clear that as professionals we had only scratched the surface and, because of under reporting, [domestic violence] was not going to be a geographic priority" (aztecanni).

"Outreach in rural areas is so important as this is sometimes the only services that [domestic violence] sufferers and survivors can access, more and more outreach are being closed because of funding" (angels).

"In September 2007, my town lost its Women's Aid, and important frontline service for women in my region experiencing domestic violence in the home. This meant that 25 units of specialist [domestic violence] floating support were lost. In addition, the helpline and drop-in support service run by Women's Aid also disappeared" (anonymous).

"We have been providing a range [of] domestic violence services to adults and children for 14 years now and still have no permanent [or] guaranteed funding. Our services for children have a five to six month waiting list with statutory agencies sending referrals everyday and no funding beyond March 08!" (dias).

"There is only [one] agency that I got the help and support I needed from...And guess what! It's going to close unless it gets some funding soon...What message does this send out to abused women everywhere? That we DO NOT MATTER!" (cheeky monkey).

"FUNDING!!!! FUNDING!!!! FUNDING!!!! Voluntary organisations struggle financially to provide necessary and vital services to support victims/survivors of [domestic violence]. It is getting harder and harder and more time consuming to prove your worth as agency" (paula).

"While the number of statutory organisations has increased the number of specialized voluntary organisations has decreased" (Jane J).

Many contributors specifically focused on funding constraints for specialist support services, including those for men, and for victims of forced marriage and honour based violence:

"As it stands the level of funding made available to specialised domestic abuse services are being squeezed and there is not enough provision for women with multiple needs" (Jane J).

"Funding men's support is non-existent" (Leo).

"There is no funding [for support related to honour based violence]" (aztecanni).

"There are only a handful of agencies but [they are] not well financed to help" (anonymous).

"More funding needs to be available for these organisations to provide a more efficient and effective service [for victims of forced marriage and honour based violence]" (Seca).

"Forced marriage and honour based killings and abuse are appalling crimes and in towns when there are few members of the BME community (such as where I work) the marginalisation and sources of assistance are very limited" (dias).

"The work that voluntary organisations carry out is life saving but they are under resourced and full to capacity in regards to how many women they can support" (Jane J).

"The only way forward is for the government to put more resources [for forced marriage] at grass root level" (anonymous).

Respondents suggested that as well as resulting in service closures, there are other ways in which the lack of funding can have a detrimental impact on service providers:

"Everyday is spent trying to find funding and willing volunteers to run projects" (Ali).

"The major issue regarding service provision [and] delivery is regular [and] continuous funding and the recruitment and retention of good quality [and] skilled staff due to short term funding" (pinky).

"I now find myself working endlessly to influence local statutory agencies to provide funds to support a temporary helpline service for the area ... and have secured short term funds to do so. How long this will last I do not know" (anonymous).

"The women's voluntary sector has been around for decades providing support and safety to women and they are constantly being asked to provide more services for less money" (Jane J).

Others drew attention to the impact that this can have on victims and questioned the message that this sends to them:

"[Victims] who are able to make that initial contact may receive support, but due to lack of funding it's getting difficult" (hswa786).

"We give a service within a very limited budget and engage with men and women who need assistance both emotionally and practically and then the funding finishes. Many of the victims have been let down by services and often, just as trust is being gained, they again feel let down because a project ceases to be funded. What message is giving? Often it feels if government is simply ticking a three year box and not looking at the bigger picture" (Kitty).

"My project keeps lunging from six month[s] [to] six month[s], not enough time to make a difference" (Hellraiser).

The insecurity of funding led several participants to call for core funding, or more sustainable funding, for support services:

"A solid funding commitment" (Hellraiser).

"Proper funding for support and intervention" (aztecanni).

"Core funding is needed for voluntary organisations that support people who have been forced into marriage" (Jane J).

"Core funding should be made available to voluntary organisations so that they do not have to worry about job losses, funding applications every year" (Jane J).

"Voluntary organisations struggle financially to provide necessary and vital services to support victims/survivors of [domestic violence]. It is getting harder and harder and more time consuming to prove your worth as agency. This should not be the case, we should be funded by central government" (paula).

"Improved funding for [Violence Against Women] services including refuges—at least three-yearly streams but a commitment to meet ongoing core costs for key services would make a world of difference" (Campaigner).

"More resources at grass roots level [for forced marriage provision]" (anonymous).

"More funding should be made available for voluntary sector organisations like Women's Aid and the Citizen's Advice Bureau to support and advise victims so they can get help and advice when they need it" (sotbas3060).

"Often it feels [as] if government is simply ticking a three year box and not looking at the bigger picture" (Kitty).

Funding services for victims with insecure immigration status

Funding is particularly problematic for organisations providing support for those with no recourse to public funds, such as those with insecure immigration status:

"Voluntary sector agencies have to factor in the costs of supporting these victims into their own operating costs" (Northampton women.)

"The no recourse rule has...a significant impact on BME refuges. The cost of supporting one woman and her children for a charity is roughly £15,000 per annum, and in some cases can be significantly higher" (Jane J).

"Refuges in the UK have been put under a great deal of pressure, supporting women who have insecure immigration status" (nadine).

Several recommendations were made by contributors specifically in relation to funding support for victims with no recourse to public funds:

"No recourse to public funds during the two year `probationary period' should be abolished where domestic abuse is established...This would mean that less women will return to their abusive partners and the voluntary sector resources are not diminished" (Jane J).

"The no recourse to public funds rule should be abolished and if not core funding should be made available to voluntary organisations to support women with no recourse so that they are not forced to turn them away" (Jane J).

"The government should allow immigrants who pay taxes to Nat[ional] insurance but have `no access to public funds' like I do...access to domestic violence assistance and counselling. It is horrendous, human rights...WHERE?" (nanbear).

"All women [should] be offered safety regardless of their British identity" (Ap1).

Publicising support services

Some victims reported that they had not known where to go for help and raised the importance of publicising services:

"I wouldn't have known where to go" (Ali).

"Provide more publicity of the services available" (hk66).

"[The] Forced Marriage Unit needs to be far more widely publicised" (Trish).

"There should be a lot, lot more publicity about domestic violence and where to go for help" (penguin).

Children's support services

A number of posters suggested that there was limited support available for children experiencing domestic violence:

"Children are the hidden victims of Domestic Violence and NOTHING is being done to help them" (anon0207).

"The system does not protect children in my experience, I have been very lucky to get them support from a local charity project and the children are now doing very well" (dot.com).

"We don't want the pattern to continue we need to break the chain with the children" (freenow.)

A significant number of postings highlighted a lack of emotional and psychological support for children, from a range of agencies, including schools, social services, health services and specialist domestic violence services:

"There's an absolute lack of therapeutic services for all children around ssues of domestic violence—that's within the statutory sector and the voluntary sector as well" (NSPCC Children's Services Manager).

"The majority of refuges don't have domestic violence workers purely for children. If a refugee can[`t] access a local service, and refugees do try very hard...there just isn't enough provision for children at all." (NSPCC Children's Services Manager).

"I also have grave concerns about the level of support offered to children. My young child witnessed the attack and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She was referred to CAMHS [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services] and... [as a result of frequent moves] she had to go on the bottom of a waiting list. All in all it took almost 18 months of an extremely traumatized young child to receive the help she so desperately needed" (anon0207).

"There is no government funding for Children's Services at the refuge. All funding is ad hoc and short term. Last year, 128 children lived at the refuge for a period of up to six months. All needed intense support to overcome their traumas" (anonymous).

"There needs to be more services aimed directly at children and young people. There's not enough. I know we've got NSPCC and excellent work is being done, but I think we need to do more work with young people" (NSPCC Children's Services Manager).

Respondents suggested that services for children who have experienced domestic violence should be more widespread and better funded:

"The impact of domestic abuse on children is well known therefore it is astonishing that there are so few child workers. Every Child Matters? Children need consistent support...sustainable funding is needed for child workers" (Front line).

"The government needs to pile a tonne of money into caring for children in these difficult situations" (tidewillturn).

"More counselling and programmes for children of all ages...to attend to help them through life" (freenow).

"What I would like to see is the ability to fast track these poor children to the help they need, or at least be able to retain a place on the waiting list moving from borough to borough" (anon0207).

Health services

A few contributors were critical of the nature of medical intervention and types of treatment available to victims:

"[Domestic violence services in my area] only offer `support' not counselling. If you ask for referrals to sympathetic counsellors they have no names to give you—even if you can afford to pay—this is very important, as not all counsellors really understand domestic abuse especially when it is emotional not physical as in my case. Many women need extensive counselling to recover from the brainwashing they are being subjected to—even to get enough self-esteem to leave" (Woman).

The lack of availability and accessibility of counselling and other therapy on the NHS was subject to particular criticism:

"We're doled out anti-depressants like smarties but never counselling [,] advice or support" (Yet another battered wife).

"I think free limitless counselling should be offered on the NHS for victims—after all the NHS doesn't leave broken arms to heal by themselves so why do they leave broken minds?...I have asked my GP if I can get counselling on the NHS and he said no. I was paying for counselling but after my husband left me and when I needed it most I was unable to continue it" (hr puff).

"I also tried to access counselling services through my GP practice, but firstly they had a long waiting list and when I finally received a letter giving me an appointment was for a working day from 9-11am. Consequently, for people that work and pay taxes meaning being productive members of this society, there are not any free services available" (Seca).

"It took me nearly one year to be seen and receive professional treatment because the waiting time was nine months, by then I was in a terrible state both mentally and physically" (bouncing back).

Where they had been referred by their GP for counselling, victims suggested it was valuable in helping them to cope with the violence and in aiding their recovery from it:

"I have been supported through counselling with my local GP which has empowered me to put the boundaries and understand the causative factors as well as helping create an environment to appease the situations which can often be due to mental stress, alcohol, work pressures etc...yet at the same time keeping myself strong enough to assert my own decisions and ultimately stop the violence" (peace).

"I am now having counselling, referred by my GP, to help me through the remainder of this stressful time" (parijata).

One of those who had received counselling felt that such provision should be made available to some victims of domestic violence as a matter of course:

"The victim of any type of attempted murder cases or grievous bodily harm should be referred to a psychotherapist as soon as after the incident [...] It is better the victim to be looked after by a professional therapist as early as possible to prevent the victim [going] through more severe mental and physical pains and save NHS money [...] Each NHS hospital should have [a] dedicated therapist or team to deal with these victims. The police, GP and hospital should be able to refer to (sic) these victims straightaway after such trauma" (bouncingback).

Financial support

Respondents revealed the high cost of taking cases to court and some suggested that legal aid should be more widely available to victims:

"My ex husband took all our savings and wouldn't leave the home that I jointly owned. I had to take him to court. He claimed he was depressed, so kept dragging everything out. He was warned repeatedly that he would be in contempt of court if he didn't fill in forms and turn up, but he did what he wanted, costing me more and more in solicitor fees" (Happynow).

"He abducted my child forcing me to make an expensive application to get him returned, of course he was legally aided...He disregarded the court order to return my child and forced me to return again in another costly application...As I owned a home before I met my ex...he decided to pursue me through the civil courts for his perceived share of my home, once again legally aided. As I was maintaining the home and children single handed I could not afford a solicitor" (anonymous).

"My only source of income was his income...he got his friend [and] employer to make him redundant to avoid the CSA [Child Support Agency] and gain legal aid...as I was working [by this time] and not eligible for legal aid I had to represent myself at court and could not afford the money for a non molestation order" (anonymous).

"There should also be a way of women getting free legal support. I was told that I would not be entitled to legal aid because of the equity in the family home, which of course I cannot access anyway" (nadine).

"Legal aid seems to discriminate against all clients not receiving income support. A review of eligibility in [domestic violence] cases would be welcome" (hope through help).

Another was critical of what she suggested were low child maintenance settlements:

"Everything has been completely biased towards my husband and the system has not taken into account the responsibilities I have for providing stability, care and financial support for my children. Why does he only have to provide 20% of his income for maintenance [?]. He earns twice as much as I do and all of my salary goes towards meeting our needs on a day to day basis. He is having expensive holidays and two properties whilst we are struggling to pay the bills. How can that possibly be fair?...Since the divorce he has breached the court order with regards to [the] house and finances. It is at my expense that I am now having to return to the courts to insist upon compliance" (dot.com).

7. PROSECUTION AND COURTS

Respondents presented overwhelmingly negative experiences of civil and criminal courts:

"I found the entire process through the courts, both criminal and civil weighted heavily on the side of the abuser" (anonymous).

"I am deeply concerned about the number of victims, usually women and children who are forced to leave their homes and support networks, because of the failure to prosecute and/or evict the abuser" (female).

"Legal institutions present an acrimonious, adversarial and aggressive environment whilst at the same time keeping the ties with the partner through court hearings" (peace).

Courts, sentencing and the Crown Prosecution Service

A number of respondents outlined their negative experiences of the criminal court process:

"My daughter who has a visual disability was the victim of a very serious assault by her ex-boyfriend [...] The Crown Prosecution Service barristers were ill-prepared and a trial date was set for days when the key witnesses had said that they were unavailable. There was little coordination between witness care and other agencies with information that had been given to them not being passed on[...] My wife and I had to take on the coordination of the whole process and without us doing so we do not see how there would have been a successful prosecution and conviction which was thankfully the outcome when the case did eventually come to court...The whole experience has totally undermined my confidence in the legal system and that women and girls will be protected" (Frances).

"Evidence given in court needs to be seen in relation to the crime committed and not the relationship of those involved, currently many courts continue to treat these crimes differently to those committed between two strangers" (Reflective).

"Often victims experience unacceptably long delays for the start of their case, adding to the reluctance even then to appear as a witness" (hope through help).

"There is a conflicting approach to [domestic violence]...it was 18 months before it was heard in court. During which time, the perpetrator is still at large. The day of the court case dawns, the perpetrator has brought into court a string of character witnesses from reputable walks of life (head teacher, pastor, vicar etc). In this particular case the perpetrator had also physically abused a child of the family...The magistrates (all men—and middle class) had police photo evidence and medical notes from the victim's GP. The perpetrator was acquitted. I am aware that the law is an ass, but really what more evidence would the magistrates need? The point is that the acquittal is a huge double blow for the woman, who would never put herself through that experience again, thus allowing further abuse" (kim999).

A few contributors felt strongly that court processes were used to further control and collude with the perpetrators rather than to ensure justice for victims:

"He started using agencies to control me starting with a solicitor who represented him in court for financial and child contact proceedings...I felt that all the agencies I came into contact with due to my situation colluded with my husband...When will there ever be any justice for victims? Also when will there be appropriate support rather than collusion from agencies including the courts who have no understanding of domestic violence possibly placing victims at further potential risk and pushing the[m] back into an abusive relationship" (anonymous).

"Because he could no longer bully, control and interrogate me for hours or days on end, he decided to divorce me by filing a petition containing nothing but outrageous allegations and lies (`legalised abuse') which still rests with a County Court" (parijata).

A small number of respondents were critical of court judges and questioned their understanding of domestic violence:

"At a conference today I was reminded that the judiciary were independent. We had been discussing the problems of judges in the higher courts (magistrates are getting training and SDVCs etc) still taking extraordinary decisions and making remarks which betray an ignorance of the nature and dynamics of domestic abuse. Their being independent mustn't serve as a barrier. The damage done by some judges is greater than the effort required to change their behaviour and knowledge. We must try to change this or we accept that any aspirations to equality of treatment and appropriate judgement will remain as aspirations" (tiscali).

"The only negative experience I had was in relation to the judge in my court proceedings. Unfortunately I found him to be judgemental, rude and dismissive and I struggled to maintain my confidence as a result" (Harrison).

Others were critical of the conduct of both defence and CPS solicitors:

"My ex did not want contact but his lawyer advised him to ask for it as he would look better in the eyes of the Judge for the case of violence" (Lady Portia).

"The case went ahead a number of months after the attack, I was grilled for an hour by his solicitor who had had many months preparation time [.] The CPS chap who was prosecuting knew nothing about me, I met him five minutes prior to the hearing [.] During the hearing I was painted out to be an unstable woman with severe mental health problems who had most likely inflicted the injuries on herself and the case was dropped as I was not a credible witness" (Reflective).

"The solicitors involved just made their deals in little rooms. Solicitors play the abuser against the abused" (Lady Portia).

Some contributors were critical of inadequate sentencing in domestic violence cases, including short sentences and disparities in conviction rates for male and female perpetrators:

"He was released after six months in prison [on remand] and sentenced for two years Actual Bodily Harm (sic) with two years suspension...There is no justice for the victims" (female).

"He got away with [a] much lesser sentence than he deserved" (bouncing back).

"The chances of a man being convicted are about 10 times higher than of a woman" (Leo).

Two posters were more positive about the sentences given in their cases:

"The CPS took my case seriously and six months later he was arrested and taken to court where he received a suspended sentence for threats to kill. I was lucky. I have heard recently that many women have to take out civil cases which they have to fund themselves in order to get restraining orders" (anonymous).

"The perpetrator did plead guilty due to the number of witnesses with full acceptance of the facts but even at the court session for the sentencing the probation service attempted to convince the judge that he was low risk despite his history. He had been out on licence when the assault on my daughter took place so it was known that he has assaulted at least three women. Thankfully the judge took a different view and he received a 30 month sentence with a two year extended sentence" (Frances).

The mixed experiences of criminal court processes highlight the need for greater consistency in sentencing and stronger sentencing guidelines for domestic violence. One respondent suggested:

"The current punishments given to people convicted of domestic abuse are so varied and depend on the individual magistrate. This should not be happening. The guidelines issued to these people must be clearer and evaluated on a regular basis by an independent body" (mari).

One participant recommended that judges' knowledge of domestic violence could be improved by observing practitioners and attending forthcoming homicide reviews:

"We could start by inviting judges and coroners to observe MARAC's (sic). This would build up knowledge of risk. We should also invite them to Homicide Reviews. These are not yet law (but in 2004 Act) but are happening." (tiscali).

Specialist Domestic Violence Courts

Specialist Domestic Violence Courts were referred to by very few participants. Where they were mentioned comments were positive:

"My area has recently progressed towards the SDVC model with success in terms of listing times and inter-agency discussions on identifying and agreeing solutions" (pureland).

"I'd suggest...extending the Domestic Abuse courts model (seeing a perp[etrator] in court on Monday for an assault on Saturday is a real incentive to press ahead with charges" (Campaigner).

One participant mentioned a court which was not an SDVC but which had introduced a fast track system to reduce the time taken for a case to come to court:

"Northampton courts have a fast track system for domestic violence, rather than special courts. It takes 75 days from arrest to sentence, and that is a system that seems to be working well" (Northampton women).

Child contact, Family courts, social services and Cafcass

Several contributors suggested that there were inherent contradictions in the child contact process. In some cases victims felt this was enabling the abuse that they and their families had escaped from to continue:

"What is the point in spending time, energy, resources to help families of [domestic violence] to escape their nightmare only to be forced back into it again on a weekly basis inside the family courts" (atlantis).

"Give children more rights of protection, instead of giving violent fathers the right of access. What is the point of escaping a violent marriage, moving away to hide, and then having to give your children away to a known violent man every month or so? I believe children should come first in these circumstances" (Happynow).

"The real problems will start when the abuser decides to use the family courts to continue to abuse their family, although you can ask the court not to release your address if a father has PR which most do now, they can use these powers to track the children through other means" (atlantis)

"Almost all men guilty of violence are rewarded with contact to children. Now, I ask you?? What message is that to send out to the abused mother and children?? To the abuser it says...wow...I still have control here!!!! The judge is allowing me to get away with this and I can persecute her and the children every time at contact. I give you an example from my own case. My ex did not want contact but his lawyer advised him to ask for it as he would look better in the eyes of the judge for the case of violence. So, there it is, it is not actual quality time with children they seek but permanent control and the system gives it to them as a present for their wrong doing" (Lady Portia).

"The man who raped me is currently taking me to court for parental "rights" he is using the Family Court to stalk me, and this has been going on for several years...I have been threatened with jail if I break a contact order several times" (Skywalker).

"What about years down the line when judges order contact because and I quote "[domestic violence] has no relevance in child contact orders". These judges are the worst. They are now subjecting my son to nasty insidious abuse. How long does he have to keep suffering until social services declare there is enough "hard evidence"? Does he need a broken arm or leg, to be so traumatised that he can't talk or eat? The Children's Act says children should be protected [from] likely harm as well as harm that has occurred and yet all the authorities want to do is wait until they have "hard evidence". It is a national disgrace" (tidewillturn).

"The family legal system will insist on sending him unprotected to his violent bully of a father. The family courts are failing our children and something has to be done to protect everyone from [domestic violence] be them men women or most importantly children" (tidewillturn).

"Cafcass, Social Services etc are systematically allowing abusive fathers (and mothers) to have contact with children and no-one is held accountable. This is WRONG" (ocean33).

"The courts even wanted me to tell him my children's school as he has parental responsibility so the fact that I relocated miles away from my family and friends to protect us they was (sic) just going to hand it to him on a plate" (louie).

"This is a no win situation. There is no escape as the law stands. So every week or so Johnny goes into the energy field of violence and carries it home like an unseen plague, where he begins to abuse his Mum and siblings first and then society. Little by little the next generation of violence begins all over again and the woman asks herself—why did I bother going for help??? She then tells other women not to come forward to be completely crucified by a system that proclaims to protect her and others. I know of paedophiles and child abusers who still get contact. Supervised at first, but then money comes into play and as in my case I ended up having to supervise contact myself. So, the message is clear. NO ESCAPE!!!" (Lady Portia).

"As it is all done in secret and we are not allowed by law to utter a word under threat of prison and our children being returned to the abuser or put into care for someone else to abuse them more, we stay quiet. This suits the system perfectly" (Lady Portia).

One participant explained how child contact cases should be dealt with by family courts and another outlined the way in which the process is supported by agencies such as the Children and Family Courts Advisory Service (Cafcass) and social services:

"During contact disputes all parties have the option of being legally represented, legal representatives have a duty on behalf of their clients to bring to the notice of the court any allegations of domestic violence, as do those parties representing themselves, they also have a duty to bring it to the attention of Cafcass. The court then has a duty to decide whether a finding of fact hearing takes place to make findings as to the violence that has occurred. Those findings have to be accepted by the perpetrator before contact can be looked at again, and only then if it is appropriate for it to be looked into again" (female).

"Social services will write a `balanced' report in the case of contact which nine times out of 10 will recommend contact under the banner ruling that a child has a right to contact with both parents, even when the child has been traumatised and refuses contact, even when the `experts' recommend against it...The use of Cafcass in contact cases involving [domestic violence] will also end in a `balanced' report which recommends contact with the abuser and even if this is recommended as supervised, resources are not infinite and this will move onto unsupervised contact reasonably quickly" (atlantis).

One poster was particularly critical of judges in family courts:

"Judges in the family courts are faced with a barrage of evidence that shows the abuser has committed these crimes against their family and on the other side of the table the `reports' from Cafcass and social services recommending contact. It takes a `special' kind of judge to stand up for the best interests of the children in these cases and rule against the `expert' witnesses" (atlantis).

Another highlighted the difficulties judges may have in ruling against the perpetrators of domestic violence in child contact cases:

"He took me to court for access to the children, but the court didn't listen to a word I said. He had filled in a form saying there was no violence. I wasn't even asked my opinion on anything. I was talked down to, and the Cafcass officer said there is no reason to deny this man his children. He said it as if I was dirt" (Happynow).

Some posters felt that solicitors were on the side of perpetrators:

"I have seen two further solicitors, who have both launched straight into the `poor chap needs to re-house himself—how much is your property worth?' routine...I can quite believe the content of another message that suggests solicitors collaborate to disempower the victim and empower the perpetrator" (parijata).

A posting from a professional working for Cafcass outlined some of the difficulties encountered in supporting children who have experienced domestic violence:

"Almost every case of residence that we deal with now has issues of domestic abuse, and failure to prosecute allows perpetrators to go on and have another family and children, without having to address their behaviour" (female).

This was echoed in the responses of victims and their families who repeatedly gave examples of situations in which they felt Cafcass had failed to protect young people:

"Cafcass needs to be abolished also in order to help victims of abuse. They make recommendations for contact based on their own "personal opinions", how is that good practice [?]. I was informed by the manager of my local Cafcass that the Cafcass officer who had dealt with my case made recommendations based on her "personal opinions". Furthermore when I attempted to raise my concerns regarding my ex partner having contact with our daughter I was informed by the manager quote "how do we know that you are not doing this out of spite" (ocean33).

"During mediation [my ex-partner] had to be contained in a room for me to get away from the premises. Cafcass placed us both together in a room which I felt was insensitive but I was thrown back into the intimidation which I was trying to escape from" (dot.com).

"There was no support whatsoever for myself and children and Cafcass wrote a report weighted in favour of my ex, quoting blatant lies about me without even asking me whether the accusations were true. This made my ex even smugger and self satisfied in the court room when it was declared that I was a heavy drinker (I was tea (sic) total as I always had to keep my wits about me)...My son informed Cafcass of the severe violence [against him] and nothing was done, too much work for the officer involved, a man of course...As a barrister I was disbelieved by Cafcass and indeed the "system" so what chance has a lay person of getting justice[?]" (anonymous).

"I have been dragged through the court regarding contact between my daughter and her dad...Cafcass have really let me down...my ex-partner still abuses me indirectly through our daughter [.] I have raised my concerns again with the management of Cafcass and stated that this must stop whilst also asking them for help" (ocean33).

"Cafcass and social services seem to have little or no insight into [domestic violence] and these services in my experience add to the feeling of abuse I and my children still suffer. They are ill resourced and ill informed and should all have specialist staff to deal with [domestic violence]. My ex was stopped from even writing to my elder daughter after a psychiatrist stated he wrote `seductive' letters to her and was like the protagonist in Lolita. However, the Cafcass officer did not take this into account and my younger child has had a five year unsupervised relationship with her father...Cafcass reports are worthless unless the information put within them is checked. My former husband told lie after lie and the report is still used five years later as if fact because written by a Cafcass officer. This should cease. My case was co-worked by two officers, the female of which was threatened by my ex husband. Her male colleague who was seen out socially on a Sunday with my ex and admitted that saying he was advising on a legal issue, failed to put into the report he submitted what had happened with his co-worker. I eventually out of frustration tape recorded the woman admitting she had been threatened, and when I offered this to Cafcass management they reacted angrily telling me I had no grounds for complaint as I had acted in an underhand manner. What the hell is one to do when being told to hand a very young child over to a violent man who has attacked her already for unsupervised contact? Surely the full facts should have been presented to the court?" (anonymous).

"Having posted my comments I have now taken the trouble to read remarks posted by others in the last few weeks. I have gone from feeling alone and close to suicide over the danger my five year old daughter faces from her `Dad' who spits in her face and beats his new wife in front of her, to being pretty much over the edge. It is one thing to feel this is just about you, your family, your ex, your kids, your Cafcass officer, your social workers, your judge. However to see this repeated again and again from all corners of the country is devastating" (anonymous).

"A friend of mine is enduring a similar nightmare, involving a violent and sadistic ex-husband demanding increasing access to their child, the legal system and Cafcass. As with my own experiences, she is finding that no-one is interested in hearing of her (and her child's) horrific suffering at the hands of this man" (parijata).

"At one point [the] Cafcass officer was actually writing about another person in one of her reports about me. I asked for a change in Cafcass officer and got one with about the same intelligence as the 1st one. All the professionals involved in the residency case knew about that man's violence, his motive for wanting our daughter (money, control, power), they even had written proof from a psychologist, school statements, police logs from DVU and they made a joint residency order. They actually put her back in the situation that I got us out of. Today, I haven't seen my daughter for over a year apart from a brief glimpse" (anna).

Furthermore, several posters gave examples of instances in which their children had been harmed by abusive parents who had been awarded contact and the subsequent lack of intervention by Cafcass and the courts:

"My ex's visits in the first year were very sporadic, nearly always abusive. Then he decides to stop contact altogether leaving me to explain to my then five year old that I didn't know where his father was...nine months on out of the blue his father wants contact. I want consistency therefore a contact order is drawn up. I have not a problem with visits at this point as my ex showed no signs of being abusive towards him I didn't feel that I had a right to refuse access...this last month my son has informed me of his father grabbing his face so hard that he began to cry my ex also calls me to my son, my son is too scared to say anything back to him—why should he have to defend himself at age eight years? Cafcass are now involved last week we attended a thoughts and feelings [meeting] for my son who said he did not want to see his father who scares him. The judge has ignored this and wants all of us to attend a meeting—dispute resolution. Does this judge have sawdust for brains he isn't listening" (lauren).

"Contact arrangements are misused by men like my ex along with everything else he smacked my toddler so hard it bruised her leg...yet the courts and Cafcass said a man had a right to have a relationship with his children and vice versa, well I'm sorry but that man loses his right to be called a father the minute he raises his hand to them or their mother" (louie).

"He disregarded the court order to return my child and forced me to return again in another costly application, my child was returned by bailiffs! He then started a vicious, violent campaign of hate against our youngest son, my son informed Cafcass of the severe violence and nothing was done, too much work for the officer involved" (anonymous).

"He uses the contact order for our son to try and get to me and now that he can no longer get to me directly he has started hurting my son. He bit my son. There have been signs for years with my son and what has been happening but no one wants to know. This time because of the bite the police and social services have got involved but they still seem to [be] lacking. Why does no one listen to children? Why does no one try to protect children from being hurt? All the services involved don't regard a bite mark as being serious enough evidence" (tidewillturn).

Specialist solutions

Some respondents suggested that a solution to problems with contact cases would be to remove the secrecy of family courts, employ more specialised staff or establish specialist family courts, like Family Justice Centres, to deal with child contact cases with domestic violence:

"Getting rid of the secrecy of the Family Courts. This is forcing domestic abuse survivors back into the not so loving arms of their abusers. If these courts were not secret, justice would be seen to be done and violent ex partners (or even rapists, as in my case) would not be able to use the courts to stalk their victims" (Skywalker).

"I firmly believe we need to open the doors on the Family Court System in order for the general public and media to see what really is going on" (ocean33).

"Stop the secrecy first and foremost. Secondly, let's have specialist judges with deep working knowledge of [domestic violence]. The magistrates courts locally now hold specialist [domestic violence] court hearings, so there should be no reason Family Courts could not follow suit" (anonymous).

"Creating solid funding streams to develop...Family Justice Centres" (10b)

"Cafcass and social services...should all have specialist staff to deal with [domestic violence]" (pinky).

Strengthening child contact policies in domestic violence cases

A considerable number of contributors felt that child contact should not be assumed in domestic violence cases and suggested that they warranted more careful consideration, for example, by assessing risk and limiting unsupervised or overnight contact, particularly where perpetrators had been convicted:

"Organisations such as Cafcass should recognize that fathers who allow their children to see him abusing the child's mother are putting that child at risk of harm and direct contact should not be allowed" (Jane J).

"Fathers who have been convicted or there Is evidence that he has abused his partner should not have any direct contact with his children until the necessary risk factors have been considered" (Jane J).

"The one thing that fathers who commit domestic violence should lose is over night contact" (anonymous).

"It should not be an assumption that a convicted perpetrator should have contact with children at all" (hope through help).

"Court systems fail victims of domestic abuse women and children and they are in need of big improvements when it comes to contact arrangements. They shouldn't view a case of what contact [,] it should be a case of if contact. The children have far more rights to be protected than a perpetrator of domestic abuse" (louie).

"They have to forgo contact with their children if they have been convicted of a crime against the other parent of the child. Only supervised contact in special cases should be granted. Children need to be protected and violent and controlling bullies should not have the chance to continue victimising their ex's or children" (tidewillturn).

"I was tracked down by my ex using seek and find orders on myself and my children and battled long and hard with the court system, they forced me to send my children to a supervised contact centre even though their father had never paid them any attention...the courts need to recognise [domestic violence] and act now as it's not only us but our innocent children who are forced to have a relationship with their father that become the victims of this damaging abuse" (louie).

"Changes to parental responsibility laws so children can be safe and abusers don't have a possible way to track down former partners" (Justme).

"The attitude of the family courts to male victims must be changed [.] This must include...registration of that abuse on the court record to protect children...this...will give experts a history of violence and whether it is long-term or new. Should it be the former, quite clearly the abuser requires treatment. During this...the father could have custody...Should she refuse then custody stays with the father. If there is a long-term problem the abuser should be monitored to protect violence to the children" (battletech).

One contributor drew attention to practices in family courts in other jurisdictions which could be applied to the UK:

"In some states in America and in New Zealand if a parent is violent within the family the court must not grant unsupervised contact or allow the perpetrator residence" (Front line).

A Cafcass worker proposed an alternative approach to the consideration of child contact cases:

"There should be convictions for domestic abuse that cause the perpetrator to have a status akin to those who are convicted of rape or child abuse eg schedule 1 offences, that prevent them being able to have contact with any woman or child until full assessments have been completed, which address the likelihood of reoffending, and address their behaviours. It should then be presented to a panel of child care, psychology, [domestic violence] experts to decide whether they can continue a relationship" (female).

Considering the views of children

Respondents also felt it was important to consider children's views more explicitly in contact cases:

"The children's views should be paramount (age and maturity dependent)...if granted [contact] needs carefully monitoring to prevent using them to further abuse" (hope through help).

"Children also, officially, on paper, have their rights under the UN Convention, yet they have no say in the proceedings that influence and scar their entire lives" (Lana).

"I grew up in a violent household...As the oldest child I witnessed many violent out bursts...My father wanted contact and so went through the courts, at no stage was I listened to. My sister and I would be interviewed by Cafcass, this was not taken into consideration. We were given the chance to say face to face that we did not want to see our father, to the meeting he brought a pile of gifts, how could I not let her have the toys when I saw how happy she was? Contact was awarded by the court. We went to his parents' house, some time later I told him we did not want to see him again, we had to be locked in a car for our own safety as he tried to kick his way in. During the court awarded contact he went on to abuse my sister and I, nobody listened to me and he was allowed to continue his reign of terror. My message from this is always listen to what the children have to say. I knew right from wrong, I knew this was a cruel world while other children my age were safe in their family home. I knew the situation and that `daddy' was a bad man, why was my sister and I ignored, only so he could prove my young assessment of the situation right?" (Read me please).

Training and awareness raising in civil and criminal justice

Several contributors felt there was a need to raise awareness and provide training to ensure that magistrates, judges and other court staff, social services, Cafcass and solicitors have a full understanding of causes and effects of domestic violence and the way in which they experience the court process:

"The ongoing and open support of Government and statutory agencies is imperative to changing views and attitudes around domestic violence. People who sit in judgement in Magistrates courts or Crown courts need to have a full understanding of the causes and effects of domestic abuse including enduring psychological, physical and financial problems faced by survivors and their families" (Reflective).

"The family courts, social services, Cafcass, etc need to be aware of the effect that contact with a violent father has on children. After all, there is enough research out there if they cared to look. How can they possibly justify driving mothers to despair by forcing them to send their children off, for often unsupervised contact, with violent fathers. Men, who they know will harm their children. Men, who probably have already harmed their children. These agencies simply do not fully understand how an abusive man's mind works. They need to listen to, and act upon what we, as survivors tell them" (cheeky monkey).

"More understanding and action by the courts and Cafcass particularly with regard to seek and find orders, child contact arrangements and parental responsibility" (louie).

"Perhaps some judges could be aware of the importance of approaching individuals in a more sensitive manner as many of us do not necessarily want to feel humiliated yet again" (Harrison).

"The damage done by some judges is greater than the effort required to change their behaviour and knowledge. We must try to change this or we accept that any aspirations to equality of treatment and appropriate judgement will remain as aspirations" (tiscali).

"I still think that...more sensitivity [could] be used whilst in court, dealing with [domestic violence] matters" (lis7901).

8. PERPETRATORS

A stronger, more coordinated, response

A few respondents raised the importance of preventing serial abuse by developing a better co-ordinated response to perpetrators:

"A clear government strategy on...how to deal with perpetrators because a number of them will move on to offend against other women in the future" (Jane J).

Some contributors advocated that the criminal justice response against perpetrators be strengthened, in particular for serial abusers, for example by introducing a multi-agency domestic violence register:

"Stronger laws against perpetrators" (amosemper).

"There should be convictions for domestic abuse that cause the perpetrator to have a status akin to those who are convicted of rape or child abuse eg schedule 1 offences" (14b)

"I would say a status similar to [a] schedule 1 offence, shared by all professionals...by listing on a computer with easy access" (female).

However, one poster disagreed and suggested that it would be more constructive to apply a preventative approach:

"The recent call by a senior police officer for perpetrators of domestic violence to be tracked as in the case of sex offenders does not help. In my area we have tried to explore proactive approaches to the subject. Surely it is preferable to prevent rather than punish offenders." (anonymous).

Statutory and voluntary sector perpetrator programmes

A small number of respondents raised the importance of educating perpetrators to prevent them from continuing to abuse:

"The main area still to be tackled is the issue of educating the perpetrators" (claire-health).

"There should be a drive to enlist men to talk about [domestic violence] and assist male offenders and so help change the attitude of men" (anonymous).

Some contributors spoke of the value of perpetrator programmes in educating perpetrators:

"Having worked...in more recent years with perpetrators, I do see the value of working at the individual level also to bring men to a different attitude towards women and themselves, as well as to be more accountable for their violence and controlling behaviours in the context of power relations. Even if it is slow work without good outcomes—we have to keep going and learn to do it better, and get the funding and support to do that" (francois).

Respondents felt that provision of voluntary and compulsory perpetrator programmes should be expanded to less serious offenders and young people, and extended to women and LGBT perpetrators:

"Programmes are only available to a certain type of perpetrator—they do not address LGB perpetrators—there is little to address female perpetrators. There is a lack of voluntary programmes and health should be engaged with [these] approaches to challenge aggressive behaviour" (pureland).

"Increase provision of anger management programmes and do not restrict them to convicted serious offenders" (anonymous).

"How about running programmes for women—they are needed although statistically they are in a minority" (lorca).

One poster focused specifically on the availability of support for perpetrators who want to seek help:

"My partner has assaulted me on many occasions but has phoned the local [domestic violence] unit to ask for help. He had no reply and other incidents have followed" (harriann).

There was also some concern that the availability of programmes was undermined due to lack of funding:

"I have been working on a perpetrators programme that took 18 months to set up and we have only had six months to run a 35 weeks educational programme??? The project helps perpetrators of domestic abuse reflect on their past behaviours, realise that what they have been doing for years is wrong, that the behaviour they learnt from their father (mother?) is wrong. However funding ends at the end of March and the outcomes of the programme have not been achieved. The women I have been supporting are left hanging and the men who were attending the course couldn't finish it...many programmes have the same problem" (Seca).

"The perpetrator agenda needs to be looked at closely due to the limited number of perpetrator programmes available in the country and also the significant costs and implications on society due to the number of men who serially abuse their partners" (Jane J).

"For the hard core of offenders there is a fast track already in place which would give them the option of "change your ways or suffer the consequences. For the ordinary people caught up in emotional turmoil, the application of properly funded aid and support would surely have a dramatic effect" (anonymous).

One poster specifically raised concern over funding difficulties for probation programmes and suggested that unless funding issues were resolved the response to perpetrators would continue to be ineffective:

"You need to look at what can realistically be applied. Ideas thrown around about programmes for the [perpetrator] are great but with the problems with the probationary service at the moment it's simply implausible that an efficient and effective service would work" (Sarahbelle).

Some respondents felt that there was a need for more evidence that perpetrator programmes were effective and called for better monitoring of providers:

"We need to be mindful that perpetrator programmes work, I think that anyone can say that a piece of work is successful—as this leads to more money, what is needed is some long term study into the attitudinal change of the perpetrator not just over the lifetime of the programme or three to six months down the line but a more extensive period of time. As we know with many behavioural change programmes the relapse is high" (lorca).

"The people that run these courses get funding by promoting their own success, despite the fact that over and over again [participants] abuse further partners. Independent bodies need to regularly inspect and review the providers of these courses...to look closely at their outcomes" (female).

"I have worked on cases...where male abusers have undergone domestic violence courses and come out of them changed people, only to go on and abuse again" (female).

Although one poster above argued for greater availability of anger management courses, another felt that they are inappropriate for domestic violence:

"The success or not of perpetrators [sic] courses depends largely on a willingness to change. Domestic violence is usually not an act of anger, perpetrators often have complete control over their actions and make the choice to abuse, there is no blind rage. I'm aware that in spite of this, sometimes anger management courses are offered rather than courses which properly address the dynamics of abuse" (nadine).

Alternative approaches to dealing with perpetrators

A few participants suggested that whilst domestic violence is unacceptable it should be viewed in the context of relationship breakdown. They suggested that earlier intervention and for dispute resolution to be made available to victims and perpetrators who both want to remain in the relationship but put an end to the violence:

"Violence...cannot ever be condoned or accepted but it needs to be understood in a relational manner giving support to both parties in a wider context...I would recommend a move away from blame, punishment etc to understanding, rehabilitation and reconciliation and to recognise the different strengths of those in relationships to be supported by dispute resolution methods, shared counselling and positive images of survival and healing" (peace).

"Surely it is preferable to prevent rather than punish offenders. Whilst it can be argued that there is a psychological class of individuals that will always be prone to controlling and bullying behaviour—it is also the case that a number of domestic violence offences are carried out by individuals who for various reasons feel trapped and threatened. In this category we find...women frustrated and angered by the relationships they are in. Also, men who are scared regarding the future of their relationships given the insecurity of family breakdown. Whilst none of these `symptoms' are excuses for individuals losing control, by identifying the causes of Domestic Violence we identify the ways of preventing it. By providing help and support for parents experiencing family breakdown, society [ie the state] can greatly reduce the problem" (anonymous).

"We need more help in learning dispute resolution methods in an increasingly pressured lifestyle and wider support for those facing related issues of unemployment, alcoholism, bereavement, etc from which violence can be a too easy and difficult to suppress reaction. In conclusion I would move away from blame, punishment etc to understanding, rehabilitation and reconciliation" (peace).

"Organisations such as Relate, Families Need Fathers and Zero Tolerance should be invested in. Evidence should be gathered on what effect early intervention has and how it can be improved" (anonymous).

One poster further suggested that the family and friends of victims should be educated and empowered to confront perpetrators:

"Confronting the perpetrator is, understandably, difficult. Show us how to do it—what to say, how to sustain the pressure. This is important because of the high level of denial among perpetrators and the fact that the majority of cases never get to court. We need to deal with this denial full-on, friends and family probably being the ones most likely to have an impact on the perpetrator" (ksurvives).

Housing perpetrators

Emergency accommodation for perpetrators is discussed on Ev 495.

9. PARTNERSHIPS

Lack of co-ordination of multi-agency responses

Several respondents felt that it was important to address the lack of consistency and coordination in support for victims and survivors:

"There is also a need for more co-ordination and awareness. There is a need for co-ordination in referrals. At present there is a silo mentality towards delivering services for domestic violence victims, whereas most people need the support of a number of different agencies" (Northampton women).

"I have found that for many victims there is a sense of being pushed from pillar to post in relation to various agency intervention at the point upon which they are seeking advice to leave or are at a point of leaving" (natasha7).

"Too many agencies all asking the same question can result in confusion and sometimes add to distress" (hope through help).

One respondent suggested that the lack of a central agency also causes practical difficulties in the movement of information:

"Create a central agency. One of the problems encountered is that victims have to move across counties or regions to escape abuse, and yet their files and support do not move with them" (Yet another battered wife).

Need for a fully funded co-ordinated response

There was significant support from participants for the introduction of coordinated multi-agency and one-stop-shop provision for domestic violence in order to provide holistic support to victims: (20a);

"Comprehensive services must be put in place nationally, offering transparent medical, legal, social et al support as a matter of course" (anonymous).

"I would like to see a fully funded coordinated response so that the victims are able to access appropriate services including the response of the criminal justice system" (Frances).

"I would welcome a lot more inter-agency working" (blackburn).

"What is needed is a comprehensive holistic approach...being able to access all agencies together, when needed, is vital" (pinky).

The potential value of local partnership strategies for tackling forced marriage was also highlighted:

"We need to work with community leaders and faith groups as well as women's groups to locally develop strategies that should fall in line with national set strategies and action plans. In order to do this adequately, funding needs to be identified against these action plans. Like with domestic abuse a lot of energy goes into supporting high risk people. This is obviously important, but a lot of work in strategies for prevention, awareness raising and education and training will support people at the lower and medium risk and also ensure that they do not become high risk due to inadequate support being available" (anonymous).

"Perhaps there should be a multi-disciplinary team consisting of police and social services, including social workers from adult and children's services" (relative).

According to some respondents, joint guidelines and training were required to support partnership working to ensure consistency and appropriate information sharing:

"The most important thing we can do [is] to ensure all of the basic level services are singing from the same hymn sheet. We need consistency [and] inter-agency guidelines that are fluid and transferable across all of our services. Same with training [multi-agency]. Domestic violence policies should also be created for public sector employees (should they need access to them). If every one had clear regulated guidance and how approaches matched [,] the victim's needs would be met. At present we have varied approaches [,] differing training [and] guidance, and our own services views on how it should be managed. Lets get social care, health and local government combined with equality and keep the needs of the victim central" (blackburn).

"From my professional perspective I would welcome a lot more inter-agency working throughout the differing levels [and] sharing of information to all will enable each and every one of us involved with that family to try and offer support when safe to do so. Trust and confidence through those key workers will then develop and hopefully when that person is ready as a multi-agency team we could help assess and address the needs and support short[,]medium and long term" (blackburn).

"There is still some confusion about the parameters of confidentiality and data protection issues amongst agencies" (hope through help).

Some respondents gave examples of areas in which co-ordinated responses had already been developed and the benefits of taking such an approach:

"My area is working on developing the coordinated community response model—we have good interagency working and a number of dedicated groups to identify and consider issues—gaps and solutions. Agencies have signed up to an interagency agreement—these include police, probation, victim support, [Crown Prosecution Service] CPS, and [Her Majesty's Court Service] HMCS" (pureland).

"I believe a one stop shop (similar to that of the Sunflower Centre) is a great resource for victims of domestic violence. Although we do not have one in our area, it is my understanding [that] it is an umbrella for all supporting agencies under one roof...This style of multi agency working will allow a more co-ordinated response" (Natasha7.)

www.sunflowercentre-northern.org

"Local authorities now take a multi-agency approach and bring together services to support women and children experiencing violence and abuse, in recognition of its impacts on their health, housing, safety, education etc" (Campaigner).



© Parliamentary copyright 2008	Prepared 13 June 2008