Theresa May to make tackling domestic violence a ‘key priority’

With worries victims are being let down by the legal system, Theresa May will directly oversee work on a domestic violence law.

Some parts of England and Wales have put more effort into overcoming domestic violence than others, which Downing street has said is “unacceptable”, and  Theresa May said tackling it was “a key priority” for the government.

Theresa May acknowledged the extent of the problem, saying thousands of abuse victims suffer “often isolated, and unaware of the options available to them to end it.”

She plans to raise public awareness of the problem, as well as consolidating the law.

Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove said: “I have met victims who have been dangled out their front window to scare them, who have been thrown into baths to be woken up from being beaten up.

“These are horrendous issues, I want to make sure there’s more meat on the bone [of legislation] and that victims to feel they have the confidence to come forward.”

Any new evidence could take around 18 months to come into force.

Specific details of the legislation are unclear at the moment, but experts working with victims will be contributing ideas and proposals.

Diana Barran, chief executive of Safe-Lives, told the BBC it was a “chance to pause and listen to survivors of abuse.”

“You want to be believed. You want to know if you speak to somebody, they are going to do something about the problem.”