Law in the making: enabling domestic abuse survivors’ study of the law during the passage of the DVA Bill

Grant: £70,000
November 13, 2017

The government will consult on the Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) Bill – which aims to consolidate, improve and extend legal provisions for survivors of domestic abuse. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a step change in the identification of and response to domestic abuse. As the national organisation representing domestic abuse services in England and working alongside sister organisations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Women’s Aid is in a unique position to lead the sector’s response.

Domestic abuse survivors rely heavily on the law – for many, it forms an essential part of their escape from a violent perpetrator. It is therefore vital that survivors’ voices and experiences are at the heart of primary law reform and the new statutory regulations and guidance that will link to the new Act, and that survivors and the services who support them understand the impact of those changes.

In order to engage survivors of domestic abuse in the development of the DVA Bill, we will trial a real-time study of the law using the Bill by a group of survivors. This will increase their knowledge of the law-making process and the resulting Act of Parliament.