Amber Rudd aims to remove court ‘barriers’ for domestic violence vicitms

Domestic violence victims should be spared having to confront their alleged abusers in court, the Home Secretary has said.

Amber Rudd wants to introduce special protections for victims, similar to those already in place for victims of other crimes, such as being able to give evidence behind a screen or via video link.

Writing in the Times, she said: “We want to remove one of the barriers that victims encounter in court: coming face-to-face with their alleged abuser.

“We are proposing to give domestic abuse victims the same status in court as those who have suffered modern slavery or sex offences. That would give them the same rights to a range of special measures.”

The Government will be launching a public consultation on the proposals as part of plans for a draft Domestic Abuse Bill.

Ms Rudd added: “If we are to bring these crimes to an end, if we are to stop hearing harrowing accounts…, we need to turn the debate on its head and stop simply asking ‘why doesn’t she leave?’ and focus on ‘why doesn’t he stop?'”

An estimated 1.9 million adults aged between 16 and 59 suffered domestic abuse in the 12 months up to March 2017, according to the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics.

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