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UNIVERSITY HOSTS INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Thursday 11th March 2004

The University’s Centre for Multi-Cultural Studies in Law and the Family hosted a fascinating International Forum on Domestic Violence this week. It attracted an audience of legal and other professionals working in the field of domestic violence, academics, students and interested members of the community.

Professor Susan Edwards (University of Buckingham) argued that the United Kingdom does not need further legislation in the area of domestic violence, rather the existing provisions should be fully utilised, either by being brought into force or being implemented with the objective of protection of victim in mind.

Professor Clare Dalton (Northeastern University, USA) reviewed the position in the United States. She explored the arguments for change in law on the basis of equality of protection of the law, and also the attempts to remove bias and prejudice from the implementation of the law through policies of mandatory actions. She warned of the dangers of removing control and choice from the victims of domestic violence through such well-intentioned schemes.

Professor Bob Rains (Penn State Dickinson School of Law, USA) focused his attention on the civil law aspects in the United States, with reference to Protection from Abuse injunctions. He argued that the law should seek to prevent domestic violence reaching the level requiring the intervention of the criminal law.

The panel was unanimous in concluding that both the civil and the criminal law were limited in the deterrence of domestic violence, and that both education and changes in society to allow victims of such abuse the economic freedom to leave abusive situations were also urgently required.

Susan Edwards has recently had an article published in The Criminal Law Review entitled "Abolishing Provocation and Reframing Self-Defence - the Law Commission’s Options for Reform". You can read this on our publications page .

Learn more about:

• Law at Buckingham
• The Centre for Multi-Cultural Studies in Law and the Family

Report by Sheena McMurtrie and the Web Team