by Bethany Rielly
AMENDED domestic-abuse legislation still has a “significant gap” because it fails to protect many migrant women, campaigners warned today.
They warned that domestic abuse will continue to force women with no recourse to public funds onto the streets unless the proposed Domestic Abuse Bill is extended to include them.
The government announced an amendment to the Bill that would make non-fatal strangulation a specific offence punishable by five years’ imprisonment.
The move comes after campaigners warned that perpetrators are avoiding punishment because strangulation can sometimes leave no signs of physical injury.
The amendment also aims to strengthen laws on controlling or coercive behaviour and to expand legislation targeting revenge porn: material shared without the subject’s consent in order to cause embarrassment or distress.