Domestic Abusers Exploit Loopholes, Biases of Scottish Justice System: Study
One woman recalled the time a chief inspector told her that “if your father had skelpt your arse, your husband wouldn’t have to do it now."
Landwebs
A new study by Glasgow Caledonian University reveals that despite the introduction of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 (DASA), which put new safeguards in place and criminalized psychological domestic abuse and coercive, controlling behavior, women in Scotland still reported that perpetrators were able to breach their bail, interdicts and Non-Harassment Orders without intervention, STV News reports. The survey also looked at women’s experiences with police while reporting abuse, both positive and negative, finding that officers’ and ranking officials’ handling of cases were equally concerning.
One woman recalled the time a chief inspector told her that “if your father had skelpt your arse, your husband wouldn’t have to do it now.” Despite the DASA’s explicit recognition of coercive control, after reporting to the police one women was left feeling she would need evidence of physical violence to get the intervention she needed to feel safe. “The initial evidence suggests that despite the new legislation perpetrators were able to continue the abuse and often, the perpetrators were able to manipulate criminal justice procedures to extend their abuse,” said Dr. Nancy Lombard, reader in Sociology and Social Policy at GCU.
