Domestic Abuse and public life

This House notes that domestic abuse involves a pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner; understands that not all domestic abuse takes place in the home or during a current relationship and that often women are most vulnerable when they are leaving a relationship, or after it has ended; highlights that post-separation control and/or harassment is a form of abuse that can occur long after a relationship or marriage is over, with different tactics of abuse employed; recognises that domestic abuse is prevalent and can affect people from all walks of life and in all forms of employment, including those public life; also notes that female political representatives, including those from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, face disproportionate barriers and are at greater risk of harassment and abuse; and therefore calls on all political parties to ensure that political representatives who are survivors of domestic abuse are not exposed to further harassment in their roles and to raise awareness of the issues in order to create a society where individuals experiencing domestic abuse feel confident that they will be believed, listened to and treated supportively.