THE HOME Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry and online consultation into domestic abuse, including forced marriage and “honour”-based” violence.
The online consultation, which runs from January 21st for six weeks, aims to hear from survivors of forced marriage and all kinds of domestic abuse, whether physical, emotional, sexual or psychological abuse, and whether by a relative, spouse or partner.
The confidential and anonymous responses to the consultation will feed into the recommendations the Committee makes to Government about its policy, services and legislation on domestic violence including forced marriage and “honour-based” crimes.
Discussion topics in the online consultation will include prevention and identification of abuse, victims’ experience of support services and experience of the criminal justice system.
Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “Huge numbers of women and men are affected daily by these crimes — domestic violence makes up around 15% of all violent crime nationally, and domestic violence kills two women every week in England and Wales. Yet their voices are not often enough heard. We want to listen to those who have experienced domestic abuse and forced marriage, since they know better than anyone else what works and what doesn’t. What they say in the consultation will help us decide our recommendations to the Government”.
The consultation will open on January 21st at http://forums.parliament.uk/dvec and runs to 29 February 2008.
