The new law concerning domestic abuse in Scotland has now come into force, making coercive and controlling behaviour a crime. The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, passed by the Scottish Parliament in February 2018 has been widely supported and seen as the ‘gold standard’ of domestic abuse law.
A new Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act will come into effect in 2019, creating new protections for domestic abuse victims and recognising the importance of psychological abuse and coercive behaviour.
The Scottish Government has announced the expansion across Scotland of an initiative designed to increase the safety of domestic abuse victims by reducing the risk of domestic abusers reoffending.
According to a freedom of information request. domestic abuse courts are failing victims due to significant waiting times for courts to settle a case.
A pilot scheme which allows people to see if their partner has a history of domestic violence or domestic abuse has been unrolled in Aberdeen and Ayrshire in the Scottish Government’s bid to control domestic abuse in Scotland.
The High Court last week gave permission to charity group ‘Rights of Women’ to challenge government policy concerning victims of domestic violence and legal aid.
With increasing talks of a separate domestic abuse offence in England and Wales and the launch of pilot project to help individuals recognize abusive partners, in Aberdeen and Ayrshire there is increasing interest in making course of conduct amounting to psychological abuse a separate crime.
The Scottish Government has provided support of around £600,000 to Amina, a Muslim Women’s Resource Centre based in Glasgow, and Citizens Advice Direct for a specialist service helping Muslim women out of abusive relationships.
The Scottish Government has announced the launch of a new strategy that aims to eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls and to create a society where all can feel equally safe and respected.
Domestic violence charity Women’s Aid is urging local and national Governments across the country to ensure medical professionals supporting pregnant women receive specialist domestic violence training.
Police in Aberdeen have described a recent initiative to tackle domestic violence in the city as a success, Police Scotland has announced.
Domestic violence and abuse can affect anyone, both women and men regardless of their age or where they are from. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has called for a wider understanding in health and social care, as well as in society as a whole, about how we can help people experiencing it.
Police Scotland has reported that its festive crackdown on domestic violence in the North-east of Scotland resulted in over 100 people being charged.
A domestic violence charity has criticised Government Minister Michael Gove for referring to domestic violence as a ‘life choice’ during a speech he gave on reforms to social care.
The Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, Brendan McGuigan, has called for work to be undertaken to fully achieve 12 outstanding inspection recommendations aimed at strengthening how criminal justice agencies handle incidents of domestic violence and abuse.
An operation ran by Tayside Police to crack down on domestic violence over the festive period saw a reduction in the number of incidents of domestic abuse.
Police forces throughout Scotland have launched a two month initiative to help reduce the incidence of domestic violence across the country.
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has recently published statistics on the number of incidents of domestic abuse recorded by police forces in Scotland over 2010-11 and 2011-12.
The European Network WAVE (Women against Violence Europe) is organising its 14th Annual Conference, which will focus on the needs of women and girls who have experienced violence and the services that support them.
US President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation on 1st October, to mark the start of the US National Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2012.
