Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said: “It
has been a long time coming but I’m very pleased the Domestic
Abuse Bill has finally become law today, four years after it was
announced in the Queen’s Speech.
“Living in a home with domestic abuse can have a devastating
impact on children’s wellbeing, education and future
relationships, and the trauma often follows them into adulthood.
“For years children have been labelled as ‘witnesses’ or
‘bystanders’, but from today the law will recognise that children
are direct victims of domestic abuse. And children who have been
uprooted from their home and moved into a refuge for their own
safety should be able to access the support they need to recover.
“This landmark legislation marks a vital step forward, but much
more needs to be done. Most domestic abuse victims, including
children, remain in their family home, often relying on
community-based domestic abuse services for help. However,
provision of these support services is still patchy - especially
for children.
“Following consistent calls from Barnardo’s and a coalition of
organisations supporting women and children, and fantastic
advocacy by a group of cross-party MPs and Peers, the Government
has committed to consult on community-based domestic abuse
services this summer. It is vital that the Government seeks views
on the introduction of a statutory duty to ensure all child and
adult victims can access support no matter where they live, and
that perpetrators have access to high-quality programmes to
tackle offending. Only then will we make real progress in
breaking the cycle of abuse.”
