Committee’s report says devices including home security systems used to coerce and control victims
MPs have called on the UK government to tackle “tech abuse”, as they warned devices including smart home security systems were being used to coerce and control victims of domestic abuse.
The culture, media and sport committee launched an inquiry last year to consider the benefits and harms of connected technology, including virtual assistants and fitness trackers.
Continue reading...Campaign aims to put onus on men to stop violence against women as figures suggest most already feel country safe place for women
A campaign aimed at making young men reflect about violence against women and domestic abuse is being launched in Wales as new figures suggest most already feel the country is a safe place for women and almost 40% believe enough has been done to fill the gender equality gap.
The “Sound” campaign, which the Labour-controlled government hopes will help tackle the crisis of toxic masculinity, is aimed at men between the ages of 18 and 34, and will try to reach them via social media, podcasts, digital television and streaming channels.
75% of men think Wales is a safe place to be a woman.
37% believe the country has gone far enough in closing the gender equality gap.
39% believe efforts to achieve women’s equality have led to discrimination against men.
43% believe traditional masculinity is under threat.
64% underestimate the prevalence of violence against women.
There was a very low understanding of terms such as love-bombing, gaslighting and coercive control.
Younger men were both more likely to agree that traditional masculinity is under threat – and to describe themselves as feminists. They also perceived scenarios involving physical abuse as less harmful and wrong compared with older age groups.
Continue reading...Police to allege 21-year-old assaulted and threatened 20-year-old woman who was known to him
A New South Wales man is facing 33 charges for a range of offences including domestic violence and animal cruelty, after police found a number of dead rabbits at his property.
The 21-year-old man allegedly on numerous occasions assaulted and threatened a 20-year-old woman who was known to him. The man also allegedly filmed the woman during an intimate act without consent and threatened to release the vision, NSW police said in a statement.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, family or domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000. International helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org.
Continue reading...Expert says anything less than the ‘full implementation of an independent police integrity model’ will fail to prevent the continuation of misconduct
The daughter of a domestic violence murder victim, who a coroner found was systematically failed by Queensland police, is urging the state government to stamp out the practice of police investigating themselves.
Shayne Probert’s mother, Doreen Langham, was killed when her ex-partner set fire to her townhouse, south of Brisbane, in 2021.
In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org
Continue reading...Increase of 1C in average annual temperature connected to more than 6% rise in physical and sexual domestic violence
As deadly heatwaves sweep through cities in India, China, the US and Europe amid the climate crisis, new research has found that rising temperatures are associated with a substantial rise in domestic violence against women.
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry on Wednesday found a 1C increase in average annual temperature was connected to a rise of more than 6.3% in incidents of physical and sexual domestic violence across three south Asian countries.
Continue reading...Researcher found clear patterns when she identified how women were killed and how police and the justice system responded
A “damning” new study of the deaths of more than 150 First Nations women at the hands of their partner or former partner has found patterns of policing failures, with the lead researcher saying most were preventable.
The study by Monash University examined 151 coronial court investigations and inquests of First Nations women and girls who were killed by intimate partner violence over a 20-year period.
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Continue reading...Man charged with domestic violence offences including stalking and contravention of an AVO
A man has been charged with domestic violence offences after police found a woman’s body inside a western Sydney apartment, after earlier failing to locate the source of a domestic dispute.
Police received an anonymous phone call about an alleged domestic dispute at a Liverpool apartment block about 11.45pm on Friday.
Continue reading...First official document on VAWG in England and Wales is similar to those used for threats such as serious organised crime, say chiefs
Police chiefs have issued the first official assessment of violence against women and girls in the UK, placing such offences on the same footing as terrorism and serious organised crime.
The 230-page intelligence document outlining the crimes that pose the greatest threats to women and girls has been shared with all forces by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
Domestic abuse.
Rape and serious sexual offences.
Child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Tech-enabled VAWG, such as online stalking and harassment.
Continue reading...Officers will have to consider whether domestic violence is a factor when determining if welfare recipient is part of a couple
Australian welfare rights advocates have welcomed changes aimed at preventing family violence victim-survivors from being punished under Centrelink rules.
Under social security rules, people must declare to Centrelink whether they are single or in a relationship. Those deemed to be in a “couple” receive a lower rate of income support than singles.
Continue reading...Tamica Mullaley told committee into missing or murdered Aboriginal women and children her child would still be alive if officers ‘did their job right’
An Indigenous mother whose son was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by her former partner says her baby could still be alive if police had done their job properly and believes officers failed her family in “every way”.
In testimony on Thursday, Tamica Mullaley says she described how she was left bleeding after being attacked by her abusive partner Mervyn Bell in Broome in 2013 – but when police arrived after being called to assist her, they arrested her, claiming she was abusive to officers.
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Continue reading...Sir Mark Rowley vows to ‘lift the stone’ – but says rooting out every unfit police officer could take years
Scotland Yard is battling its biggest corruption crisis since the 1970s, its commissioner has warned, as new evidence emerged of the widespread bungling of sexual and domestic abuse claims against officers.
The review of past allegations was triggered by the David Carrick scandal, where the force missed repeated clues that the Metropolitan police firearms officer was a threat to women, while he attacked at least 12 victims over a 20-year period, committing 85 serious crimes.
Checks on 10,000 of the Met’s 50,000 officers and staff against police databases showed 38 cases of possible misconduct and 55 cases of a potential association with a criminal, all of which will be investigated further.
Gross misconduct investigations, which can lead to sackings have risen 62% to 431, with such hearings taking less time to be held.
A total of 144 officers were suspended from duty, double that from September 2022, with 701 on restricted duties.
There has been a 70% increase in those dismissed – or leaving before they could be sacked – in the last six months.
Continue reading...Women escaping violence are staying in refuges for years due to a lack of alternative social housing, providers say
Domestic violence shelters in Queensland say they are struggling to make space for new arrivals, with the housing crisis seeing women staying in some refuges for years .
The added strain on the sector has created a bottleneck , with shelters having to place some women in hotels or refuges far from their support networks.
Continue reading...Move follows pressure from campaigners such as Julie Devey and Carole Gould whose daughters were murdered
Domestic abusers in England and Wales who kill their partners or ex-partners are to face tougher sentences under government plans after a campaign by bereaved families.
The justice secretary and lord chancellor, Dominic Raab, will push for a change in the law after pressure from campaigners such as Julie Devey and Carole Gould, who have been calling since 2020 for a change to the minimum sentence for domestic homicide.
Continue reading...About 42% of men reported experiencing physical violence since the age of 15, report finds
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its latest personal safety data on Wednesday, showing an estimated 8 million Australians have experienced violence since the age of 15.
One in five Australian women have experienced sexual violence and stalking in their lifetime, the new data showed.
Continue reading...MoJ guidance found to be wrong after woman trying to enforce custody agreement denied funds as son no longer lived with her
A decision to deny a single mother legal aid to enforce a child custody agreement against her abusive ex-partner was unlawful, the high court has ruled.
When Susie (not her real name) separated from her ex-partner, who would physically and verbally abuse her when he had been drinking, they initially shared custody of their son equally. But when he breached their agreement, limiting her access, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) refused her application for funds because it decided that as her son was not then living with her, he was not her dependant.
Continue reading...In an extract of a new book, Plibersek says her daughter’s experience was part of the reason she didn’t seek the Labor leadership in 2019
Tanya Plibersek has urged survivors of assault to reach out for help after her daughter revealed her own story of sexual and domestic violence.
In an extract from Margaret Simons’ book Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms, published in the Good Weekend magazine on Saturday, the former Labor deputy leader revealed part of the reason she did not run for leader of the party in 2019 was because her daughter was involved in legal action related to the abuse at the time, and would be appearing as a witness in court.
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Continue reading...Labour leader tells Women’s Aid conference he will use his own experience as DPP after collapse in number of charges
Keir Starmer has vowed to make it his “personal mission” to stand up for victims of domestic violence, after a collapse in the number of charges brought for the crime.
The Labour leader said that as the director of public prosecutions he had witnessed “the devastating impact domestic violence has on victims and their families”, and how abuse often escalated into other forms of serious violence.
Continue reading...This blog is now closed. Follow our next Australia news live blog here when it launches
There are reports of delayed and diverted flights at Sydney airport after an air control tower was evacuated.
Airservices Australia has told Nine that the incident was sparked by fumes emitting through the air conditioning system, resulting in two international flights being diverted.
Continue reading...Labor opposition says move a decade overdue, with similar courts already operating in Queensland and overseas
The New South Wales Coalition will consider establishing standalone domestic violence courts, which Labor says are almost a decade overdue.
Domestic violence cases would be heard by dedicated magistrates and potentially later in specialised court buildings under the Coalition’s election pledge.
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Continue reading...Exclusive: Domestic abuse charges authorised by CPS declined from 82,158 to 43,836 in 2021-2022, Labour party reveals
The number of charges related to domestic abuse has halved since 2015, figures for England and Wales uncovered by the Labour party have revealed, while similar offences recorded by police have more than doubled.
Domestic abuse charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have steadily declined from 82,158 in 2015-2016 to 43,836 in 2021-2022, the data shows. Over the same period, the total number of domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by the police has soared by 116% from 421,185 in 2015-2016 to 910,980 in 2021-2022.
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