Today, the government has announced new measures to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG) with the introduction of ‘Raneem’s Law’, in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018. There were 13 reports made to the police about concerns for Raneem’s safety, with no arrests made. On the night she was killed, she rang 999 four times.
New measures will include domestic abuse specialists being embedded in 999 control rooms to ensure calls for help are treated urgently and appropriately, as well as new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders which builds on police powers to ensure abusers stay away from victims and face tougher sanctions if they fail to do so.
'Victims of appalling domestic abuse need to know that the police will be there for them. Today's measures are the start of this new government's mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade,' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said. 'Failure to understand the seriousness of domestic abuse costs lives and far too many have already been lost. That’s why introducing ‘Raneem’s Law’ in memory of Raneem and her mother Khaola is so vital – and has been a personal priority for me.
'Through an expert-led, practical police response, we need to ensure that when victims and survivors of abuse have the courage to come forward it will be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves. Our mission is for the whole of Government, agencies, organisations and communities to work together to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and today is just one step of many towards tangible and long-lasting change.'
What is Raneem's Law?
‘Raneem's Law’ will be put on a statutory footing by issuing national guidance that police will be required to follow.
The government will fund a pilot in targeted police forces from early 2025, placing domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms. Specialists will advise on risk assessments and work with officers on the ground, to ensure that victims get a fast response when needed and are referred to support services as quickly as possible.
Almost 100 domestic abuse related offences were recorded by the police every hour on average last year. The specialists will also be backed up by dedicated teams to improve how the police responds to these kinds of calls, including using new technology to respond more quickly such as Rapid Video Response.
From November, Raneem's Law also dictates that more domestic abusers will be ordered to stay away from their victims and face tougher sanctions if they fail to do so through the launch of the new Domestic Abuse Protection Order pilot. The pilot will build on powers police already have to legally order abusers to not make contact with or go within a certain distance of the victim – but domestic abuse victims are currently only protected for up to 28 days.
The new orders will go further, with measures such as making it a legal requirement for perpetrators to inform the police of any change in name or address, imposing electronic tagging, and ordering assessments for behaviour change programmes. There will also be no maximum duration for these orders.
The orders will cover all forms of domestic abuse, including violence, stalking and controlling behaviour, and more agencies will be able to apply for them – not just the police and criminal courts but also family and civil courts, and third parties such as local authorities, charities and social services, with victims also able to apply directly for the order themselves. Breaching one of these new orders will be a criminal offence, punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
'For too long, we know victims haven’t had the protection they deserve,' explains Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women & GirlsJess Phillips said. 'We have set out an ambitious mission – to halve violence against women and girls in a decade – and offering the strongest and most effective response to incidents of domestic abuse is absolutely fundamental to this. Embedding domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms and rolling out new protective orders to pilot forces and courts across the country are both huge steps towards the best response for victims possible.
Working with Nour, Raneem’s aunt and Khaola’s sister, has been one of the greatest honours of my life.
Jess Phillips
'Working with Nour, Raneem’s aunt and Khaola’s sister, has been one of the greatest honours of my life. We must make sure that when we change our policies those are the people that it comes from. The people with direct experience.'
To deliver long-term reform on VAWG, the Home Secretary has also announced that she will spearhead a cross-government approach to Violence Against Women and Girls through the Safer Streets Mission Board. To address the root causes of violence, Labour have promised to support schools and educational institutions in teaching children about healthy relationships, respect, and consent. Prevention and education are key pillars of the government’s broader strategy, they state, alongside enforcement and victim protection.