Yesterday, leading domestic abuse organisation Women’s Aid and Survivor Ambassador Claire Throssell MBE, delivered a petition calling for the Government to prioritise the safety of children by ending unsafe child contact with dangerous perpetrators of domestic abuse, supported by over 100,000 people to 10 Downing Street.
The petition, which is part of the Child First campaign, was handed in two weeks after the 10-year anniversary of Jack and Paul, Claire’s beloved sons, tragic deaths. The boys, aged just 12 and 9 at the time, were killed by their father after he deliberately started a fire during unsupervised child contact. This contact had been granted by the family courts because of the pro contact culture of the institution and the presumption that states children should have contact with both parents, despite Claire disclosing domestic abuse and warning that the boys were unsafe.
Initially, the petition was handed in back in 2017 with 42,000 signatures, and while it was well received, the House of Lords then blocked amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill (now Act) which would have removed the presumption of child contact in family courts, prioritising the safety of children and putting an end to unsafe child contact with dangerous perpetrators.
With an extra 60,000 supporters, the petition has been taken to the new Labour Government who previously committed to introducing a statutory framework which clearly states the presumption does not apply where there is domestic abuse towards a child or parent in their Violence Against Women and Girls Green Paper.
A special parliamentary event in the House of Lords followed the petition hand in, urging Peers to recognise the harm that the presumption of child contact causes, and encouraging support for changes to the damaging pro-contact culture of the family courts.
Powerful speeches were delivered by Sarah Hill, the Chair of the Board of Women’s Aid, Claire Throssell MBE, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs, and Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, all highlighting the urgent need for change to an archaic and outdated presumption that put children in danger.
On the campaign and the need for change to save lives, Baroness Hazarika said “The tragedy of so many cases of domestic violence is that the woman knew what lay ahead for her and her kids. She knew… in her bones… and she told people, and no one believed her. I really hope that we can get to a place where we can try to create a survival system which is designed for women and children.”
10 years on from the tragic killings of Jack and Paul, children continue to be put at risk though the authorisation of unsafe child contact with dangerous perpetrators of domestic abuse. Action must be taken now to reform the presumption of child contact and address the deeply harmful attitudes towards domestic abuse in the family courts which are putting young lives at risk.
The upcoming Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill presents a new opportunity for much needed reform to the family courts which will make the safety of survivors a priority. Likewise, a timeline on the delivery of the Harm Panel’s recommendations needs to be a key part of the upcoming VAWG strategy refresh, if the Government are committed to making tangible change for women and children going through traumatising family court processes.
Sophie Francis-Cansfield, Head of Policy at Women’s Aid, said “The family courts have long presumed that it is in a child’s best interests to have contact with both parents, and while this doesn’t apply where there is evidence of risk of harm to a child, the strong pro-contact culture – as found and confirmed by an independent government review – often hinders the required threshold being reached. Children are being put in direct harm by an outdated presumption that overlooks the dynamic of domestic abuse and actions of perpetrators and does not align with the legal recognition of children as victims in their own right.
Women’s Aid is honoured to be campaigning alongside Claire and stand in solidarity with her as she pushes for life-saving change, and all women and children who have been affected by the family courts. We are grateful to all the people who have signed the petition, showing the broad support for this urgently needed change to protect the lives of children.”
