Dan Jarvis and Tracey Cheetham: Domestic abuse victims deserve support

When TV programmes depict a “battered wife” they often portray the woman as weak. That she chooses to stay, rather than just leave, as though it really is that easy. This is wrong; it isn’t usually weakness that makes someone stay in an abusive relationship, it is fear – and there’s a huge difference between weakness and fear.

Control is not always achieved with fists or threats of violence. It is also done by attacking the victim’s confidence, by manipulation, restricting access to finances, verbal bullying and psychological abuse.

A woman never enters a relationship to be abused. She falls in love and puts trust in this person. So when he tells her she is wrong, ugly or stupid, she believes him. When he gives her a slap or holds her by the throat, she excuses it, because she must be in the wrong. The fear of what might happen to her – or her children – if she were to leave is incredibly strong.

When a woman does take this step and reaches out for help, you would expect the justice system to provide all the support she needs and deserves as a victim of crime.

Eve Thomas was one such victim. After enduring 20 years of horrific mental and physical abuse at the hands of her husband, she found the strength to escape. With the support of the police, she pursued a prosecution against her husband. He was convicted for battery and placed under a restraining order. Eve obtained a safe house address, which she kept a closely guarded secret to ensure her ex-husband would never find and harass her again.

Eve was beginning a new life, learning to live without fear, when she was taken to court on a civil matter, unrelated to the legal battle she had been through with her former husband. During proceedings, the judge asked her to state her name and safe address in open court.

This would have become a matter of public record and compromised both her and her daughters’ safety, so Eve refused. She offered to provide the address in a sealed envelope for the judge, but this was refused and she was told she would be held in contempt of court and risk being sent to prison. Eve was prepared to do this, to protect herself and her daughters.

Thankfully a friend stepped in and saved her from that decision. But Eve should never have been put in the position of having to make such a choice. No one should.

That’s why Eve has campaigned to change this legal anomaly ever since. She is fighting to introduce ‘Eve’s marker’, which would introduce a red-flag to highlight the personal details of a victim of abuse as sensitive and confidential. The data of domestic abuse victims would never be disclosed unless exceptional circumstances demanded it, and would only apply to those truly at risk.

Just a few days ago Eve’s campaign won a major victory when the Government promised to introduce a new code of practice on victims’ safe addresses.

This was a welcome step in the right direction, though it didn’t fulfil all that Eve has been calling for. The legal anomaly identified by Eve Thomas does not just compromise the safety of the individual, it also undermines any work the Government does to tackle domestic abuse.

Around 1.2 million women suffer domestic abuse, but more than 60 per cent of all incidents go unreported. More disturbing is the fact that on average two women are murdered by a current or ex-partner every week. It shows why we still need to do much more to encourage victims to come forward. But this will only happen if victims feel able to rely on police, criminal justice and partner organisations, as they decide how to rebuild their lives.

This could mean support with prosecutions, restraining orders and help with finding somewhere to live. It also means equipping police with the necessary resources and expertise so that front-line officers are aware of the signs to look out for. South Yorkshire Police, for instance, has a robust and compulsory programme to ensure all officers are trained in dealing with domestic abuse.

Eve Thomas is an incredibly brave woman, but sadly not unique in suffering domestic abuse. We owe it to her and the many other victims of abuse to address this minor anomaly, that will have a major impact on their lives and future safety.

• Dan Jarvis is MP for Barnsley Central and Tracey Cheetham is deputy police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire.