Local leaders are joining the calls for a register of domestic abusers. This follows a report into domestic abuse in the capital launched earlier this month by Len Duvall, Leader of the London Assembly Labour Group. The report said tougher checks on perpetrators were needed in order to protect survivors and prevent reoffending. In the year to June 2017, there were nearly 150,000 incidents of domestic abuse in the capital, and 5564 incidents in Brent alone. Yet just over 400 serial cross border offenders are kept on a list for monitoring and tracking by the Metropolitan Police. According to the 2011 census, Brent has a BAME (Black Asian and Ethnic Minority) population of 59% (double of anywhere else in London) out of which 48% are born outside the UK. 33% of the BAME community in Brent are Indian, 8% Pakistani and 1% of Bangladeshi origin.
A study has also revealed that many times the victims in Britain’s south Asian communities do not get justice as their cries for help goes unreported, especially by women and children who are trapped in a pervasive culture of shame. The research project, carried out across several counties in England and Wales, has found that a lack of awareness about what amounts to criminal behaviour is endemic, especially among first generation immigrant families from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
Local London Assembly Member, Navin Shah AM, has joined cause and said a register could provide a “vital step change” in the way repeat offences are prevented in London. In Brent Council’s 2015 – 2019 Borough Plan, a significant reduction in domestic violence by 2019 was outlined as one of the council’s priorities.
The number of domestic abuse victims in London has risen from 62,546 in 2014 to 71,926 in 2016, equating to a 15% increase. A recent case of death in Leicester, involving a young woman Meera Dalal has raised many questions (see page 5).
Domestic abuse now accounts for almost 1 in 10 offences in the capital. Since 2014 the government have brought in Domestic Violence Protection Orders, which ban domestic abusers from returning to a residence and having contact with the victim for 28 days. Criminal Behaviour Orders were brought in at the same time, and, in addition to restraining orders, can also be used to prevent perpetrators from contacting or approaching their victims. 2014 also saw the introduction of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme – commonly known as Clare’s Law after Clare Wood, a woman murdered by an ex-boyfriend in 2009.
The disclosure scheme gives individuals the ‘Right to Ask’ about whether a new or existing partner has a violent history; whilst the ‘Right to Know’ element means police can chose to proactively disclose such information without a request. In December 2015, a coercive and controlling behaviour offence came into force, which means such behaviour that occurs between current and former partners or family members can lead to prosecution – and a maximum 5 year sentence – even if it falls short of physical violence. The Met has also placed a specialised focus on tackling domestic abuse. Operation Dauntless+ involves the tracking of over 400 serial cross-border domestic abuse offenders, each of whom are subject to consideration for a ‘Right to Know’ disclosure.
Mr Shah told Asian Voice, the provisions are “too patchy”. With estimates that 4 in 10 survivors of domestic abuse are repeat victims, he said that he was backing calls for more stringent measures to prevent repeat offences. Mr Duvall’s report into domestic abuse in the capital urges the government to introduce a register, equivalent to that used for sexual offenders, to allow the police to hold information on perpetrators and better protect survivors.
The register would put the onus on offenders to give the police their personal details, including name and address, and to update with any changes. Other recommendations set out in the report call on the Mayor of London to work with the Met to re-evaluate the threshold for monitoring serial domestic abuse offenders and to continue to lobby the government for better resources for tackling domestic abuse and other crimes.
He added: “Across London, we’re seeing domestic abuse increasing and we need to get serious about how we protect people from these vile acts. In its borough plan for 2015-2019, Brent Council rightly highlighted tackling domestic violence as one of its goals, and tougher checks on perpetrators and a register of offenders would be important steps in achieving this goal. I recognise that the government have improved the law to allow for tougher action against abusers, but the provision is too patchy and reoffending remains too high.
“We need to send a clear message to anyone committing domestic abuse that the police have them on their radar. I’m backing calls for a register of domestic abusers because I believe it could provide a vital step change in the way we prevent reoffending and protect people from these devastating crimes.”
Home Office responds to ILUK demands
The British Home Office has said it will look at arrangements for spousal visas, following warnings from Indian women’s rights groups viz. Indian ladies in the UK (ILUK) that its conditions left the non-EU partner coming to the UK “ripe for exploitation”(https://www.asian-voice.com/Volumes/2017/12-August-2017/UK%27S-ABANDONED-INDIAN-WIVES).
The group, as planned on Wednesday 16 August, stood outside the Lunar House, Home Office Headquarter demanding a fair scope or hearing for those wives who are abandoned without notice, mostly for economic reasons by men of Indian origin settled here. Many victims also suffer different levels of mental and physical abuse- that go unreported.
India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj offered a helping hand to the group, while the founder and members are now hopeful after the Home Office in a statement assured them saying, “This government will not tolerate abuse through marriage or other relationships and we will continue to take the lead in tackling modern slavery, forced marriage and domestic violence... We will look carefully at any evidence of where further action might help to prevent abuse or support victims.”
“If there is evidence that an individual in the UK on a spouse visa has been the victim of domestic abuse, including controlling coercive behaviour, they can apply for settlement in the UK,” it added. “An individual on a spouse visa abandoned overseas could apply to return to the UK.”
Kanti Nagda, from the Sangat Advice Centre in Harrow that provides several services and assistance to women in distress told the newspaper, “We at Sangat Advice Centre believe that The Indian High Commission, whilst taking a stand, has nevertheless sadly failed to recognise the plight of Indian citizen women caught in the claws of their British citizen husbands.
“Every month we are approached by women suffering domestic violence. Some of them would like us to take the matter further. Some come simply to unburden themselves of their silent suffering. All of them deserve to be heard and supported.
“In the main, we have found that the victims are predominantly from the less wealthy and less educated families from back home. They come to the UK with a dream of bettering their lives and instead find themselves shackled to men who are often hen-pecked by their mothers, once or twice divorced, sexually incompetent and twice their age, looking merely for a servant rather than a life partner.
“These women are initially given visas for two and a half years followed by a further two and a half years. Following these five years stay they can secure indefinite leave to stay in the UK, provided that the couple have lived together during this period.
“Our advice to Indian citizen spouses trapped in domestic violence is not to suffer in silence. Incidences of physical or mental abuse should be reported to the police, social services, GP and volunteering agencies providing assistance to victims. And if, for whatever reason, a return to India is not possible, victims should make an application to settle in the UK.”
