Leaving this here for posterity: hundreds of you wrote to MPs, tens of thousands of you signed the petition, and we did it! See Act Now for ways to support our next push for law change in Northern Ireland and in Scotland, and beyond….
WE WANT ALL MPS TO SIGN UP TO THE AMENDMENTS TO END ‘ROUGH SEX’ DEFENCES
Sixty UK women have been killed, and many more injured, by men who say she “consented” to the violence. Far too often these claims work, with a lesser charge, a lighter sentence, or no prosecution at all. We want all MPs to sign up to the DA Bill amendments proposed by Mark Garnier, Harriet Harman, and Laura Farris: supported by MPs from six different parties and with huge public support.
The Government are reviewing this- but have yet to put forward proposals. And so we ask all UK MPs to support the current amendments, so that the Government know how wide support is for real change.
These rough sex claims have been working for nearly fifty years: we have a real chance to change this in England and Wales in 2020.
We’re asking all UK supporters to write to their MP, and and everyone to sign our petition. All you need to do this is below.
ask your MP to support adding to the #dabill:
1. Find your mp’s contact details
You can email your MP or we hear a printed letter works very well too.
2. You can use some of our draft text below.
Dear NAME,
I am a constituent, and my postcode is POSTCODE
I’m asking that you back the vital Domestic Abuse Bill and additions to this bill that could end the use of "consent" claims to the violent injury or killing of women. These claims have now been used in the homicide of at least 60 UK women, and just under half the time are successful in gaining a lighter sentence, lesser charge, or the death not being investigated as a crime at all. Harriet Harman, Mark Garnier and Laura Farris have laid clauses to amend the vital Domestic Abuse Bill applying in England and Wales - the Government has committed to review the law to stop perpetrators evading justice, but have yet to publish their own proposals.
And we must act to ensure that non fatal strangulation - reported by so many women - is prosecuted as the serious assault it is.
Harriet and Mark’s amendments have wide cross party and public support - as you can see from this petition - and the government must at a minimum match the effect of these in their proposals. I am asking you to join Harriet and Mark’s calls to end ‘Fifty Shades’ claims and make strangulation a specific offence.
Can I ask you to sign amendments NC4 - NC11 to the Domestic Abuse bill?
Yours,
3. Attach briefing: We can’t consent to this briefing document
4. let us know what response you get - contact here
tweet your support!
What must we change?
In 2018, Natalie Connolly's partner received a 3 year 8 month sentence after claiming that she had consented to the acts the caused her terrible injury, and prosecutors did not pursue a murder charge against him. Natalie is not alone - there are at least 60 UK women killed by men who claim the women consented to the violence that killed them, and many more injured. Despite case law in England and Wales supposedly being clear, in 45% of cases, these defences work: they result in the killing being prosecuted with a lesser charge, or not treated as a crime at all. And there has been a tenfold increase in "consent" defences to violent injury and killing in the last ten years.
The law should be clear, but to claim consensual activity "gone wrong” gives too good a chance of a lesser charge, lighter sentence, or a death not being investigated as a crime at all.
what do the domestic abuse bill amendments mean?
Two UK MPs, Harriet Harman, and Mark Garnier, the MP for Natalie Connolly and her family, propose to amend the Domestic Abuse bill which will apply in England and Wales, to end once and for all the use of these defences. You can hear more from them here.
Now the UK has had a General Election and a new parliament, we need the Government to bring back the Domestic Abuse bill - and we want all MPs to support this bill and the additions to it which will help to end the use of ‘rough sex’ defences.
What about Scotland, and Northern Ireland?
Scotland will need separate legal provision for this. We’ve kicked off our campaign there, and MSPs are already pushing for change for change. Your Scottish MP should be able to vote on the Domestic Abuse bill, so please do write to them as below. And we will push for the Domestic Abuse bill provision to apply in NI too - and again please ask your MP to support this.
