Women’s Aid statement in response to Government’s plans to introduce Jade’s Law

Farah Nazeer, chief executive at Women’s Aid, comments:   

We welcome today’s announcement that the government is committed to deliver Jade’s law, which will ensure that prisoners who murdered their partner will no longer have parental rights over their children. This is a victory for Jade’s family and friends, who’ve been campaigning tirelessly to end the control and fear that perpetrators continue to exert over children’s lives after carrying out such unthinkable acts of violence.  

 

“Our 2016 Nineteen Child Homicides report found that over a 10-year period, 19 children in 12 families were killed by known perpetrators of domestic abuse in circumstances related to formal or informal child contact arrangements. Additionally, two other children were seriously physically harmed at the time of these homicides, and two women were killed.  

“While this is a vital first step forward, we continue to urge the government to go further and end avoidable child deaths due to unsafe contact with dangerous perpetrators, and to ensure that children are always put at the heart of contact decisions made by the family courts. We look forward to seeing this included in the Victims and Prisoners Bill, and hope to see other changes we’re calling for, to bring about tangible changes for victims within this legislation.