CPS to train staff on ‘spectrum of abuse’ in violence against women and girls

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will train its staff to recognise the “wide spectrum of abuse” in cases of violence against women, after new data found that domestic abuse was present in more than a third of rape cases, and in more than eight out of 10 cases of stalking and image-based abuse. Launching its five-year Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, the body said its main aims were to increase casework quality and increase trust in the CPS. The CPS data found a significant overlap in crime types relating to violence against women and girls, with 93.5% of charges of “honour” crimes linked to domestic abuse, as well as 35.1% of rape charges, 82.8% of charges of stalking, and 85.6% of charges of image-based sexual abuse, known as “revenge porn”. “The nature of violence against women and girls continues to evolve and although it is true that people are more aware of the wide spectrum of abuse, it is not sufficiently appreciated that abuse often involves different layers of offending,” said Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions. “It is our responsibility to present to the court the full picture of criminality that occurs, so that courts can sentence appropriately.” “All too often, in what is presented as a domestic abuse case involving physical violence, we see many layers including strangulation, controlling or coercive behaviour and revenge porn,” he added. “It is vital we train our staff to recognise the full picture of abuse so the charges we make reflect the totality of the offending.” As part of its new strategy, the CPS has said it will roll out new training on “honour” based abuse, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and stalking and harassment. It will also develop a stalking action plan, to include cyberstalking. The strategy also says that the CPS will embed academic research on the overlap between domestic abuse and sexual offences, install dedicated victim liaison officers in rape and serious sexual offences units within the CPS, and offer pre-trial meetings for adult victims of sexual offences. Under the new plans, the CPS will also offer an enhanced service for high-risk domestic abuse victims and survivors, and hold annual national scrutiny panels on rape, “honour” based abuse and modern slavery. “I think it’s really important the strategy is raising the standards of communications in the CPS, and the report, the strategy is quite honest about the fact the CPS hadn’t always got this right,” the solicitor general, Ellie Reeves, told a press conference at the organisation’s London headquarters. “Communications with victims have often lacked empathy and not [been] of a consistently high standard, and one of the things this strategy draws out is that determination to improve those communications and drive up those standards.” Referencing the wider VAWG strategy, Reeves said: “These crimes are often complex and often interconnected, and that’s why it’s really important that this strategy recognises that complexity and interconnectedness.” Related: One in four unconcerned by sexual deepfakes created without consent, survey finds With the number of suicides after domestic abuse now outstripping rates of homicide, Baljit Ubhey, the director of policy and the senior responsible officer for the CPS’s VAWG strategy, said: “We absolutely do need to be more curious, and think: can we build those cases? “In complex cases like this, where the family may suspect that this isn’t a suicide, we absolutely want the police to come to us really soon so we can start exploring all those lines of inquiry, because you can tell that story, and if the evidence is there, then we would absolutely, absolutely prosecute that.” When asked whether the government would consider introducing new legislation to make it easier to prosecute perpetrators following a death after domestic abuse, Reeves said this was “a really important area that needs some thinking about”. The crown court backlog in England and Wales stands at a record high with more than 78,000 cases and some trials being listed as far as 2029, and Ubhey told the press conference that “we can’t magic away the delay”. However, Parkinson said that better recognising the links between crimes, and prosecuting offenders for the totality of their offending, would work towards reducing crime rates. “It is only by doing this and ensuring that perpetrators face the full force of the law that we will get the message through, especially to younger men and boys,” he said, “and we will start to see progress in reducing these crimes.” In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org. Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html