Dear Justice Secretary, Shadow Justice Secretary and Justice Spokesperson,
My name is Melanie Brown MBE, and I’m many things – I’m a mother of three, I’m a Spice Girl, I’m a TV presenter – and I’m a survivor of a coercively controlling relationship.
As I know first-hand through the US court system, domestic abuse is rarely understood and anything relating to child contact can be deeply traumatic. In this country, survivors of domestic abuse are telling us every day at Women’s Aid how going through the family court system can be worse than the abuse itself.
With over 60% of cases in the family courts featuring domestic abuse, it’s surely common sense that understanding domestic abuse should be at the heart of the system. But the reality is the opposite – survivors like me are told they are liars, that they are bad mothers, and are dragged back through the system time and time again for what is for many of us court-enabled abuse.
When domestic abuse isn’t understood, dangerous decisions can be made in the family courts, and between 2005 and 2015, 19 children in this country were killed through unsafe child contact.
In the run up to the next general election, I – alongside everyone who has signed this letter – am asking every political party to prioritise reforming the family courts in their manifestos.
If we get this right, we can save lives. We can change the lives of women who leave an abusive relationship, only to be told it is her fault in the family court. It is unacceptable and has to change now. Three years is too long already and we need you to act now.
Mel B