Domestic Violence: Women Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for International Development
Lord Morris of Aberavon
Main Page: Lord Morris of Aberavon (Labour - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Morris of Aberavon's debates with the Department for International Development
Domestic Violence: Women
Lord Morris of Aberavon Excerpts(6 years, 2 months ago)
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Lord Morris of Aberavon (Lab)
My Lords, a major difficulty in some of these appalling cases, in which I have been involved judicially, is that there are no witnesses other than the participants. That is one of the problems of proving the cases. Do I presume that the same standard of proof will prevail nevertheless?
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The noble and learned Lord is absolutely right that, quite often, there are no witnesses other than the participants who mete out such abuse on women; quite often, there are no physical signs of abuse where it involves coercive control and, as the Home Secretary mentioned this morning, economic control of women. That is why we are strengthening the law and why we have gone out to consultation: so that such things may be pursued. It is also why the domestic violence protection order is being introduced.