News
ITV documentary highlights urgent need for Family Court reform
Rights of Women advised on "Breaking the Silence: Kate’s Story", which exposes the Family Court’s failure to protect survivors. We are calling for a series of legislative reforms.
The powerful testimonies in ITV’s latest documentary “Breaking the Silence: Kate’s Story”, including that of MP Kate Kniveton, shed light on the failure of family courts to protect children and survivors of domestic abuse.
Rights of Women provided advice to the production team to ensure the documentary reflected the reality of the legal issues surrounding domestic abuse. Unfortunately, Kate’s experiences are not isolated.
Mandip Ghai, Senior Legal Officer at Rights of Women said today: “Everyday Rights of Women is contacted by survivors needing support to navigate a traumatising family justice system that too often feel like an extension of the abuse they are trying to escape. Until family courts are reformed, the government cannot deliver on its promise to halve violence against women and girls.”
More needs to be done to address the cultural and resourcing issues identified in the 2020 Ministry of Justice Harm Report, which persist.
Rights of Women has called on the government to prioritise urgent legislative reform, including:
• Repealing the presumption of parental involvement which compromises safety;
• Introducing a presumption that involvement of an abusive parent in the life of the child will not further the child’s welfare, unless the contrary is shown;
• Prohibiting so-called ‘reunification therapies’ and the removal of a child from a safe parent if the reason is solely to improve their relationship with the other parent;
• Placing a duty on the Family Court to hear the views of the child before making decisions about their life.
We acknowledge the bravery of the survivors in speaking publicly about their experiences. Kate Kniveton had to bring legal proceedings in order to speak out – Rights of Women intervened in Griffiths v Tickle [2021] EWCA Civ 1882 to emphasise the importance of hearing the voices of survivors and children.
We hope their voices will not only be heard, but will lead to meaningful change that is so urgently needed.