The push for psychological abuse to 'be made a crime'

Campaigners proposed to make psychological abuse to be made a crime to save more victims of domestic violence.

16:02 05 March 2014

Campaigners including Women’s Aid, are pushing for psychological abuse to be categorized as a crime in order to save more victims of domestic violence. They said that current legislation focuses too much on specific incidents, such as assaults.

Meanwhile, the Main Office responded saying that it will consider the proposal pending completion of police review of domestic abuse.

The Home Office’s definition of domestic violence includes coercive control, which can include being extremely jealous, stopping a partner from seeing friends and family, or controlling what a victim wears. However, traits such as these are not considered criminal offence.

Campaigners have conducted a survey, which was participated by 258 abuse victims and 88per cent of them said that they didn’t think the criminal justice took psychological harm into account. Also, 94per cent of the respondents agreed that psychological abuse could actually be worse than physical violence.

The chief executive of Women's Aid, Polly Neate, said: "These survey results clearly reflect what our member services have been telling us for a long time - that the criminal justice focus on individual incidents of physical violence cannot reflect the ongoing psychological harm caused by coercive control in intimate relationships.

"Currently two women a week die at the hands of a partner or ex-partner; the next step to preventing these deaths is reform to allow the criminal justice system to take account of patterns of controlling and violent behaviour."