‘Stalking victims say they feel like “sitting ducks” in lockdown, according to a charity which has seen a surge in calls for help.’
BBC News, 25th March 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Half of women have little or no faith in the authorities to prosecute crimes against them, according to a new poll. Almost a quarter have “no trust at all” in the Crown Prosecution Service, the research by Savanta ComRes found.’
The Independent, 21st March 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘One in 40 women aged between 16 and 24 in England and Wales experience rape or assault by penetration, including attempts, each year, Office for National Statistics estimates suggest.’
BBC News, 18th March 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘New powers to protect stalking victims are not being used by police, a BBC Wales investigation has found.’
BBC News, 10th March 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Court backlogs are having “major consequences for victims and witnesses”, a watchdog has found, as criminal trials are being scheduled for 2023.’
The Independent, 9th March 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The Domestic Abuse Bill received its second reading stage in the House of Lords on 5 January 2021. The government has indicated a commitment to improving the justice system’s effectiveness in providing protection for victims of domestic abuse and bringing perpetrators to justice.’
Garden Court Chambers, 1st March 2021
Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk
‘In EOG v SSHD [2020] EWHC 3310 (Admin) the Court considered a challenge to the Home Office’s policy not to grant victims of trafficking a right to work or leave to remain whilst they are within the National Referral Mechanism. Mostyn J found in the Claimant’s favour and declared the Home Office’s policy unlawful as it failed to implement the obligation in Article 10.2 of ECAT to protect potential victims of trafficking from removal pending the conclusion of the process. He held that “[s]uffering such persons to remain as overstayers, or as illegal immigrants, does not fulfil the obligation” (§48). He left the issue of how the policy should be reformulated to the Home Office to determine. As regards the right to work, the Judge held that “Someone in the position of the claimant, who has a time-limited right to work, should not have the arbitrary adverse consequence of a removal of that right meted out to her simply by virtue of the delays that she is likely to face” (§48).’
Garden Court Chambers, 26th February 2021
Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk
‘Rapists and other serious criminals are walking free because victims are dropping court cases because of delays, a watchdog has warned.’
The Independent, 2nd March 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A raft of new amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill will be presented, providing greater protections for victims and further clamping down on perpetrators.’
Home Office, 1st March 2021
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
‘Ministers will make non-fatal strangulation a specific criminal offence punishable by five years’ imprisonment following pressure from campaigners.’
The Guardian, 1st March 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘In the year ending March 2019, an estimated 2.4 million adults aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year (1.6 million women and 786,000 men). The government was elected with a manifesto commitment to pass the Domestic Abuse Bill, which passed the House of Commons in July 2020, and is set to become law once it has passed through the House of Lords.’
Garden Court Chambers, 24th February 2021
Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk
‘A major charity working with victims of domestic abuse says calls to their 24-hour helpline increased by more than 50 per cent in the year of the pandemic.’
BBC News, 24th February 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Human trafficking is internationally recognised as threatening human rights and the fundamental values of democratic societies. States have taken action to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking and to provide support to victims of what is the third largest illicit money-making venture in the world. But what happens when the victims of trafficking commit a crime themselves? Should they be prosecuted? What factors are relevant in this assessment? And which arm of the State should the assessment of whether someone is a victim of trafficking be entrusted to? This is the first time the European Court of Human Rights has tackled these questions. The Court found that the UK had breached its obligations under articles 4 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights by prosecuting two Vietnamese children who were potential victims of trafficking.’
EIN Blog 24th February 2021
Source: www.ein.org.uk
‘Two sisters say they’ve been silenced by the man they reported for sexual assault after he sued them for talking about what happened.’
BBC News, 24th February 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The victims’ commissioner for England and Wales has called for a law to ensure people affected by crime are treated properly as they wait for justice.’
BBC News, 24th February 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘V.C.L. and A.N. v the United Kingdom (16 February 2021). Human trafficking is internationally recognised as threatening human rights and the fundamental values of democratic societies. States have taken action to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking and to provide support to victims of what is the third largest illicit money-making venture in the world. But what happens when the victims of trafficking commit a crime themselves? Should they be prosecuted? What factors are relevant in this assessment? And which arm of the State should the assessment of whether someone is a victim of trafficking be entrusted to? This is the first time the European Court of Human Rights has tackled these questions. The Court found that the UK had breached its obligations under articles 4 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights by prosecuting two Vietnamese children who were potential victims of trafficking.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd February 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘In MN v SSHD [2020] EWCA Civ 1746 the Court of Appeal considered several linked cases brought by victims of trafficking who had received negative Conclusive Grounds decisions.’
Garden Court Chambers, 17th February 2021
Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk
‘One of the survivors of the Rotherham grooming scandal has asked the government to give children born from rape legal “victim” status so they can receive specialist help and potentially prosecute their fathers.’
The Guardian, 16th February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Crack teams of specialist police officers are needed to bring rapists to justice and prevent a wholesale collapse of public confidence in the criminal justice system, according to the police lead for rape in England and Wales.’
The Guardian, 14th February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
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