CADV calls for urgent action to address domestic violence

The Coali­tion Against Do­mes­tic Vi­o­lence (CADV) is call­ing for ur­gent im­prove­ments to the coun­try’s re­sponse to do­mes­tic vi­o­lence, warn­ing that gaps in the jus­tice sys­tem and vic­tim sup­port ser­vices con­tin­ue to put women and chil­dren at risk.

In a state­ment is­sued on Fri­day, the coali­tion said re­cent cas­es of ex­treme vi­o­lence against women by their in­ti­mate part­ners had high­light­ed the need for stronger le­gal pro­tec­tions, im­proved so­cial ser­vices and a na­tion­al pre­ven­tion frame­work.

CADV said vic­tims were of­ten at great­est risk of es­ca­lat­ing vi­o­lence when they sought help from the au­thor­i­ties or ap­plied for pro­tec­tion or­ders, par­tic­u­lar­ly in the ab­sence of a struc­tured, manda­to­ry state re­sponse.