Legal Aid and Domestic Violence.

[Thistledew]

I have been running a thread here asking people to support the campaign against the proposed cuts to legal aid.

Yesterday, the BBC ran an article explaining how the retention of legal aid for divorce cases where a party has been a victim of domestic violence will only apply where a report of the violence has been made to the police. Other evidence, such as GP reports of injuries caused, will not be accepted.

Domestic abuse that has been only emotional in nature will also not qualify a victim for legal aid.

Quite how well a woman who has been gaslighted and pushed around by her husband for years will be able to face him and coherently explain her case in court without any legal advice appears not to have even been considered, let alone explained.

Further evidence that this government really does have complete distain for women.

:( I give up, sometimes. I really do.

The government has charities left, right and centre explaining domestic abuse to it. When the flip are they going to listen?

Thanks for highlighting this, Thistledew. God, it's so depressing what this government is doing.

Vera Baird in today's Guardian

This is depressing. I know someone who is in an awful situation who is trying to muster up the courage and resources to leave when her health is better. If this goes through, she probably won't be entitled to legal aid. Not only does that mean her quite wealthy, well-connected H will wipe the floor with her in court and quite probably get residency of the DC's, the fact that she would have no access to legal support means she will feel compelled to stay on in a dangerous and destructive situation. :( and

We're just running to stand still at the moment, it seems.

I'll write to my MP this weekend,

What bollocks. The Gov might as well come right out and admit they place women's safety and well being at the bottom of society. At least then they'd be being honest instead of pretending to give a shit.

I'm currently doing my dissertation on domestic violence and patriarchy. How society (including the CJS and family courts) is set up by men for men to subordinate women and if the Gov is so bothered about women then why don't the statistics reflect that. The perpetrator programmes in place to hold men responsible for their actions either don't work at all or work in a very small limited way, or even make the situation worse for the woman (false hope he will change, re offends in a more severe way etc) so men by and large are going unpunished and abusive behaviour unchallenged.

I've supported the legal aid campaign btw

Thanks for posting this.

Btw, the article below, which came up alongside the one you linked to on Guardian's Related Stories, seems to me a good illustration of how terrifyingly hard it is for abused women even to admit they need help.

www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/nov/02/judge-who-beat-wife-sacked

I would write to my MP, but there's no point. He's a woman-hating tory who wrote me a patronising reply back when I wrote to him about the #100 they're charging to use the CSA , the bastards

Looking forward to having an influx of the MRA lurkers posting on here in support of the strength of feeling against these cuts, given that they believe that DV is not gendered in any way. Perhaps they have some ideas for a joint campaign?

I have signed the petetions for this and emailed my MP (who unfortunatly is as useless as EleanorRathbones') . I work in this field and really fear for the safety of women and children should these changes be passed. All very depressing at the moment .

Oh dear god, I knew this government were women hating but this has just left me feeling, I don't know, sad, angry... How can anyone think managing cuts in this way is appropriate.

They are bastards. Join your local anti-cuts group.

anticutsprotests.co.uk falseeconomy.co.uk