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The Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales has criticised the government for failing to act with sufficient urgency on tackling domestic abuse and protecting children.
In its formal response to the Commissioner’s April report on the experiences of children subject to domestic abuse, the government committed to implement, or pointed to existing work covering, only 10 of the 66 recommendations made. Most of the remaining proposals were either partially accepted, marked for further “exploration” or consultation, or rejected outright.
Some progress has been made since the report’s publication – including updates to Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance and additional funding for perpetrator behaviour change programmes. However, Dame Nicole Jacobs said she is “increasingly concerned by the lack of momentum” to deliver meaningful reform, highlighting long delays in publishing the government’s new violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy.
The Commissioner emphasised that tens of thousands of child victims are not receiving adequate support, warning that for many, daily life remains “an anxious battle” in unpredictable and unsafe homes.
Dame Nicole Jacobs said:
“Tens of thousands of child victims are currently not getting the level of help and support they need to recover from abuse, and I remain largely unclear on what the government intends to do about it.
For children experiencing domestic abuse every day can be an anxious battle. Many are growing up in homes where the rules are always changing, where they struggle to concentrate at school and often do not know what devastating consequences the next day will bring. These children are our future – they need and deserve an ambitious plan from government on how it is going to ensure they are protected, but also how it intends to prevent other children from growing up in homes like theirs. But this has yet to materialise.”
She welcomed the government’s target to halve violence against women and girls within a decade but warned the commitment will fail without urgent action, adequate funding and a clear plan.
“Halving violence against women and girls within a decade is an ambitious target and one I applaud. But with the VAWG strategy still delayed and no major funding announced for specialist domestic abuse services, I fail to see where the momentum within government is coming from to ensure this commitment succeeds.
It’s vital that the government clearly sets out how it intends to tackle and prevent domestic abuse as a matter of urgency. It should not need to be said that adult and child victims cannot wait any longer.”
