Bill to tackle violence against women on track to become law amid peers’ support

Proposals to tackle violence against women have moved a step closer to becoming law after peers gave their unanimous support.

SNP-sponsored legislation aimed at forcing the Government to ratify the Istanbul Convention, which places legal obligations on the state to tackle sexual violence and domestic abuse, received an unopposed second reading after little more than an hour of debate.

The Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill will undergo further scrutiny in the House of Lords at a later stage.

It remains on track following previous attempts to disrupt its progress in the Commons by Tory MP Philip Davies, who claimed the convention has not made a “blind bit of difference” in other countries and labelled the Bill “sexist”.

Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, a former Supreme Court justice who was the first to rule against marital rape, said the measures would advance the cause of all victims of violence rather than disadvantaging men and boys.

The independent crossbencher said action must be taken to halt the “appalling prevalence” of violence against women and it would be “nothing short of disgraceful” to hinder the legislation.

Lord Brown said: “There can be no doubt… that it is women who suffer disproportionately.

“They suffer most from the hands of the opposite sex and there is absolutely no basis for suggesting that advancing their cause, as this Bill proposes, will set back the cause of male victims – quite the reverse.

“Anything that raises the stakes, raises the public’s awareness of and revulsion at violence generally in society, will resound to the advantage of all victims.”

Home Office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford said the Bill has the Government’s “full backing”.

She also said: “There is one outstanding issue regarding introducing extraterritorial jurisdiction… which needs to be addressed before we are considered to be compliant.”

Lady Williams added work is ongoing to resolve this, with separate legislation needed to amend UK law.

Labour peer Baroness Gale introduced the Bill into the Lords, a chamber where the SNP is not represented.

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