Local MP Craig Tracey was in the House of Commons chamber to support the second reading of the Domestic Abuse Bill in Parliament, as the Government delivered on the foundations first put forward by former Prime Minister, Rt Hon Theresa May MP
The landmark Bill will introduce the first ever statutory definition of domestic abuse, recognising that it can take many different forms including psychological, physical, sexual, economic and emotional. It will also see the establishment of the Office of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and, most importantly, the introduction of new powers to ensure that immediate protection can be given following an incident, followed by flexible long-term protection for victims.
The Bill will strengthen protections for victims of domestic abuse, and crack down on perpetrators. Measures include banning abusers from cross-examining their victims in court and launching new protection orders to restrict abusers.
The Government is committed to delivering on its domestic agenda – tackling crime, improving our schools and boosting our NHS.
Craig Tracey MP said:
“After visiting Women’s refuges to meet with victims of domestic abuse and seeing the devastating effect it has on them and their families, I really welcomed the introduction of the “Domestic Abuse Bill.”
Domestic abuse has been a scourge on our society for too long, all too often perpetrators have been able to hide behind a conspiracy of silence. This bill will transform the response to domestic abuse with the introduction of a Government strategy to ensure that it is properly understood and actively challenged across the board.
This kind of behavior is utterly unacceptable in this day and age. It is time to take a stand with victims and the Government is sending a clear message to perpetrators of domestic abuse that ‘enough is enough.’”
