Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee
The House of Lords established the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee, a special inquiry conducting a comprehensive post-legislative review of the 2021 Act. The committee’s ongoing inquiry is examining the effectiveness of the Act, how police and statutory agencies handle cases, and identifying gaps in legal protections.
In recognition of her expertise in violence against women and girls, Meena Kumari, Founder and Director of H.O.P.E Training and Consultancy and H.O.P.E Training & Leadership C.I.C , was invited to give evidence to the Committee as part of an expert witness panel, alongside:
- Catherine Briody, Head of VAWG and Youth Commissioning, Islington Council.
Below are some brief clips taken from the session.
Question from Lord Russell, this Committee is examining the effects of the Domestic Abuse Act. To what extent has the passage of the Act affected the environment in which you operate and the work that you do? In your view, have those effects been positive, negative, or a combination of both?
Answer from Meena Kumari (click video to view)
Question: Turning now to your work with perpetrators and the prevention programmes you run, what funding challenges do you face? You have already mentioned the issue of longevity and the difficulty of securing long-term funding. Could you expand on that and explain how funding arrangements affect your ability to deliver and sustain these programmes?
Answer from Meena Kumari (click video to view)
Question:
You both have a very distinguished track record in this area, and I wanted to touch on something you have already begun to address—namely, interventions within minority communities. You have spoken eloquently about prevention work with perpetrators and the importance of culturally appropriate interventions, but I would like to focus on the experiences of victims.
In my own work, particularly with organisations such as the Turkish and Kurdish-speaking women’s domestic violence project, one of the recurring themes was the fear many victims felt about coming forward. They were often concerned about the stigma attached to reporting abuse and the pressure from family and community members not to report a partner or former partner because of the perceived shame it would bring on the family.
What is your experience of these barriers today? To what extent do concerns about stigma, ostracism and so-called family honour continue to prevent victims from seeking help? And what work is being done—particularly through trusted community organisations—to support women who do come forward and to ensure that they can access help safely and confidently without fear of being isolated by their families or communities?
Answer from Meena Kumari (click video to view)
