Motion no: 23
Domestic abuse affects 1 in 4 women. PSNI respond to a domestic incident every 23 minutes. Many perpetrators are serial perpetrators going from woman to woman.
Presently women do not have the right to know if their partner has a history of domestic violence. Clare Wood was murdered by her ex-partner, a known convicted abuser across a number of jurisdictions. Police and Social Workers were legally prevented from sharing information with victims.
Following a successful campaign by Clare’s father Michael Brown and reporter Michelle Livesey, Clare’s law has been rolled out in England, Scotland and Wales.
Under Clare's Law, otherwise known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, men and women can request information about their partner, or third parties such as friends or relatives can make requests if they are "concerned".
Police and other agencies including social services then consider whether releasing information on someone's past is "necessary, lawful and proportionate" to protect someone from their partner.
Women here should be afforded the opportunity to ‘ask or be told’ to protect both themselves and their children, potentially saving lives. The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (Clare’s Law) has undoubtedly saved lives and we believe that women in Ireland should be afforded the same protection.
Conference calls on the Northern Ireland committee of ICTU to develop a public awareness campaign and to lobby the Justice Minister and the assembly for the full implementation of Clare’s Law. We deserve the full protection of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme be extended to Northern Ireland.
