DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Early day motion 323, tabled 9 December 2002 by Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour). Signed by 83 members.

That this House believes that domestic violence, which accounts for 25 per cent. of all recorded violent crime, is experienced by one in four women in the UK at some time in their lives, leads to two women per week being killed in the UK, and is one of the most serious crimes the country faces; welcomes the Christmas Appeal partnership between Refuge and Housing Today which highlights the relationship between domestic violence and homelessness, whereby around 20,000 women and children a year become homeless as they escape abusive partners; calls on the Government and all political parties to make tackling domestic violence crime a public policy priority and, learning lessons from the success of drink-driving campaigns, to consider a national public awareness campaign to expose domestic violence for the crime that it is; and encourages the business community, with its pivotal role in communities and society, to engage with this issue and find ways of helping to raise awareness.

Signatures by party: Labour 62, Liberal Democrat 13, Labour/Co-operative 4, UUP 2, Conservative 1, Plaid Cymru 1.