1 in 5 adults experience domestic abuse in their lifetime? 1 in 5. You will most likely know someone who has been a victim to it or is experiencing it right now. These people deserve to be surrounded by people who understand what they're going through and treat them with compassion.

Victims of domestic abuse are often subjected to secondary victimisation. This occurs when a victim of crime feels they have been subjected to inadequate, insensitive or inappropriate responses and practices by criminal justice and social agencies that compound their original trauma. Such actions are not limited to overt actions that are consciously undertaken. They can also include unintentional practices by legal staff who do not harbour ill will or bias. Judges are often dismissive of victims and do not want to hear about detailed abuse. This case hardening makes their approach perfunctory.

Article 8 in the UNDHR states that "Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law." By allowing secondary victimisation to occur we are not fully respecting a basic human right.

According to the Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/oct/08/family...) - "Judges in the family courts are using victim-blaming and gender based language towards domestic abuse survivours". This highlights why mandatory, updated training is required for all legal professionals who handle domestic abuse cases because if it isn't, then domestic abuse survivours will trust the judicial system less and less and so will the public. Secondary victimisation makes the victim feel unseen and unheard by a system which is meant to support them and can often make them lose faith in the justice system. This is especially important since victims of domestic abuse can often face further harassment by the perpetrator after the case.

This is why we believe family law professionals and judges need to receive updated, regular training on domestic abuse and how to handle domestic abuse cases and we believe it should be enforced by the Government.