Domestic abuse victims forced to wait in same rooms as alleged perpetrators at courts

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"Victims of domestic abuse have had to share waiting rooms with the alleged perpetrators in dilapidated court facilities, with a lack of security compromising their safety, a leading barrister has said. Ahead of Labour revealing its strategy to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG), the Bar Council has said that years of underfunding in family courts has hampered the government's ability to tackle the issue."

Victims of domestic abuse have had to share waiting rooms with alleged perpetrators in dilapidated court facilities, with inadequate security compromising safety. Years of underfunding in family courts have hampered the government's ability to address the issue. A report by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner found domestic abuse features in almost 90 per cent of family cases. The situation has been described as a public emergency. Latest figures for the year ending March 2024 estimate more than 1.2 million women and over 550,000 men aged 16 to 59 experienced domestic abuse. The Bar Council, representing 18,000 barristers, has called for policy changes including increased legal aid funding.

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