Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse

Professional services

Raising the status of families after homicide and bringing the victim’s

voice into domestic homicide inquiries to build safer societies.

AAFDA – a Centre of Excellence for Reviews into Domestic Homicides and for Specialist Peer Support.

PRESS RELEASE

NATIONAL DOMESTIC HOMICIDE CONFERENCE SWINDON 7 MARCH 2017

The illustrious singer-songwriter-harpist Hattie Webb, who performed with Leonard Cohen in over 400 concerts, gave a stunning and moving musical performance during the conference. Hattie was supported by sound engineer Marcel Van Limbeek.

Professor Evan Stark, whose work provided an important basis for the new law on coercive control said – “England and Wales are the first countries to really tackle the reality of the abuse women suffer. We should recognise that what constitutes the crime, is not just physical abuse but deprivation of the basic liberties and dignity and autonomy. The law is an exciting opportunity to test the extent to which it can support the move towards full equality for women.

For decades we have recognised a huge gap between what was happening to women in abusive relationships and the narrow window ofassault through which the law was responding. The law is a pioneering attempt to close the gap between the hostage like forms of coercion and control that a large proportion of abused women experience and the very narrow definition of that experience simply as physical assault. The new offence is the first in Europe and possibly anywhere to tackle the extent to which male partner abuse is used to deprive women of basic rights and liberties as well as physical safety.”

The CEO of AAFDA, Frank Mullane,called for the raising of the status of families of victims of homicide. He said that “the Government’s laudable aim to help families to cope and recover after homicide first required recognition of a significant need for many families, that is,the need to know the circumstances leading up to the homicide. This is important for Society too so that public safety can be improved. Why notequalise the advocacy power of statutory bodies and families, at inquests, by getting the statutory

Phone: 07768 386922 Website:

AAFDA, PO Box 3636, Swindon, SN39BG

Patrons: Vera Baird QC Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, former Solicitor General,

Helen Grant MP for Maidstone and the Weald andformer Minister for Culture, Media and Sport

Julia Drown (Former MP for South Swindon) & Anne Snelgrove (former MP for South Swindon),

AAFDA is a registered charity No. 1125973

bodies to share their legal funds budget with the families? After all, the inquest is a fact finding exercise and both parties having legal representation would make it more likely that the facts are revealed. There is obviously no extra cost to the public purse since Coroners should be able to require this sharing of existing legal fund budgets.”

Families have sometimes been advised by police or another agency that they didn’t need a lawyer for the inquest as the Coroner would take care of everything. Regardless of the merit of that advice, those families might have had a shock when the police or other agency arrived at the inquest represented by a barrister, perhaps a QC, paid for from the public purse.

QUESTIONS:

Please contact Frank Mullane, Director of AAFDA 07768 386922

NOTES:

1. AAFDA is a Centre of Excellence for Reviews into Domestic Homicides and for Specialist Peer Support. We help families after homicide, particularly domestic homicide, by listening to families tell their stories and by providing practical help via information, guidance, support and advocacy.

2. . Monckton-Smith, J. and Williams, A, with Mullane, F (2014) Domestic Abuse, Homicide and Gender: Palgrave Macmillan

3. Ministry of Justice (2012) ‘Getting it right for victims and witnesses: the Government response’

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