House of Commons Home Affairs Committee Domestic Violence, Forced Marriage and “Honour”–Based Violence Sixth Report of Session 2007–08 Volume II Oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 20 May 2008 HC 263-II Published on 13 June 2008 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £36.50 The Home Affairs Committee The Home Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies. Current membership Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP (Labour, Leicester East) (Chairman) Tom Brake MP (Liberal Democrat, Charshalton and Wallington) Ms Karen Buck MP (Labour, Regent’s Park and Kensington North) Mr James Clappison MP (Conservative, Hertsmere) Mrs Ann Cryer MP (Labour, Keighley) David TC Davies MP (Conservative, Monmouth) Mrs Janet Dean MP (Labour, Burton) Patrick Mercer MP (Conservative, Newark) Margaret Moran MP (Labour, Luton South) Gwyn Prosser MP (Labour, Dover) Bob Russell MP (Liberal Democrat, Colchester) Martin Salter MP (Labour, Reading West) Mr Gary Streeter MP (Conservative, South West Devon) Mr David Winnick MP (Labour, Walsall North) The following Member was also a Member of the Committee during the inquiry: Mr Jeremy Browne MP (Liberal Democrat, Taunton) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/homeaffairscom. A list of Reports of the Committee since Session 2005–06 is at the back of this volume. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Elizabeth Flood (Clerk), Jenny McCullough (Second Clerk), Elisabeth Bates (Committee Specialist), Sarah Harrison (Committee Specialist), Mr Tony Catinella (Committee Assistant), Mr Ameet Chudasama (Chief Office Clerk), Sheryl Dinsdale (Secretary) and Ms Jessica Bridges-Palmer (Select Committee Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Home Affairs Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 3276; the Committee’s email address is [email protected]. Witnesses Tuesday 22 January 2008 Page Chief Constable Brian Moore, Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead for domestic violence, and Ms Jude Watson, Domestic Violence Implementation Manager, Crown Prosecution Service Ev 1 District Judge Marilyn Mornington, Chair of Domestic Violence Working Group, Family Justice Council, Lord Justice Wall, and Mr Phil Mackin, Interventions and Substance Abuse Unit, National Probation Service Ev 7 Tuesday 29 January 2008 Ms Shazia Qayum, a survivor of a forced marriage, Commander Steve Allen, Association of Chief Police Officers’ Honour-based Violence lead, and Mr Nazir Afzal, Director, Crown Prosecution Service (London West) Ev 16 Tuesday 19 February 2008 Ms Nicola Harwin, Chief Executive, Women’s Aid, Ms Sandra Horley, Chief Executive, Refuge, and Ms Jasvinder Sanghera, Director, Karma Nirvana Ev 27 Ms Jo Todd, Director, Respect, Mr Mark Coulter, Male Victims Development Officer, Men’s Advice Line, and Mr Ben Jamal, Chief Executive, Domestic Violence Intervention Project Ev 37 Thursday 21 February 2008 Jagdeesh, Imran, Ajmal, Anita*, Kiranjit, and Meena (*Name has been changed to protect identity) Ev 42 Tuesday 4 March 2008 Ms Diana Barran, Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse Ev 56 Mr Iain Wright MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Kevin Brennan MP, Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ev 58 Ms Kiranjit Ahluwalia, domestic violence survivor, and Ms Hannana Siddiqui, Southall Black Sisters Ev 67 Mr Vernon Coaker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Crime Reduction, Home Office Ev 69 Tuesday 25 March 2008 Ms Anjum Mouj, Development Manager, and Ms Sumanta Roy, Capacity Building Manager, Imkaan Ev 75 Mr John Gaskin, Managing Director, Education Bradford, Ms Kath Tunstall, Director, Children’s Services, Bradford City Council, and Mr John Freeman, Joint Director, Association of Directors of Children’s Services Ev 80 Meg Munn MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs, Mr Mark Sedwill, Director, UK Visas and Mr Rob Macaire, Director, Consular Services, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ev 85 List of written evidence 1 The British Medical Association Ev 96 2 PARITY Ev 101 3 Dewar Research Ev 102 4 Standing Together Against Domestic Violence Ev 105 5 Asylum Aid Ev 109 6 Independent Police Complaints Commission Ev 111 7 CAADA Ev 119 8 Families Need Fathers Ev 122 9 Janet Bowstead Ev 125 10 Dr M J George Ev 128 11 The Mankind initiative Ev 132 12 Newham Asian Women’s Project Ev 136 13 End Violence Against Women Ev 139 14 Haven Wolverhampton Ev 140 15 Gloucestershire County Council Ev 143 16 Refuge Ev 147, Ev 335 17 Cotswold District Council Ev 160 18 Paula Harding, Pan-Birmingham Domestic Violence Co-ordinator Ev 162 19 Children Are Unbeatable! Alliance Ev 165 20 T H Aldridge Ev 167 21 Imkaan Ev 170, Ev 427 22 Association of Chief Police Officers of England and Wales and Northern Ireland Ev 174 23 Equality and Diversity Forum Ev 177 24 Association of Chief Police Officers Domestic Abuse Portfolio Ev 180 25 Association of Chief Police Officers Stalking and Harassment Portfolio Ev 182 26 Children Are Unbeatable! Alliance Cymru Ev 185 27 NSPCC Ev 187 28 TUC Ev 192 29 Stella Project Ev 195 30 Respect Ev 200, Ev 383 31 Women’s Aid Federation of England Ev 205, Ev 440 32 Fawcett Society Ev 229 33 Metropolitan Police Service and Metropolitan Police Authority Ev 236 34 Karma Nirvana Asian Male and Female Project Ev 238 35 Unite (T&G) Ev 241 36 Crown Prosecution Service Ev 242, Ev 344 37 Home Office Ev 247 38 Mayor of London Ev 254 39 Family Justice Council Ev 258, Ev 342 40 Family Justice Council Diversity Sub-Committee Ev 277 41 Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) Ev 278 42 Victim Support Ev 286 43 Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation Ev 289 44 Amnesty International Ev 292 45 Family Practice Press Ev 295 46 Southall Black Sisters Ev 300 47 M N Gulliford Ev 303 48 Men’s Advice Line Ev 307, Ev 382 49 JUSTICE FOR SURJIT Ev 312 50 Probation Service Ev 315 51 Citizens Advice Bureaux Ev 317 52 Rights for Non-British Spouses Ev 322 53 Association of Directors of Childrens Services Ev 326, Ev 422 54 Derby Council Ev 328 55 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Councils Ev 329 56 Bristol City Council Ev 331 57 Tower Hamlets Council Ev 331 58 Anonymously Ev 332 59 Department of Health Ev 333 60 Domestic Violence Intervention Project Ev 340 61 Letter from Kevin Brennan MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Children, Schools and Families Ev 389 , Ev 449 62 Letter from Iain Wright MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government Ev 401, Ev 403 63 Letter from Birmingham City Council Ev 415 64 A perpetrator Ev 415 65 Everyman Project, Families without Fear and Triangle Ev 416 66 Bradford Council Ev 424 67 Relate Ev 426 68 Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice in the UK Ev 434 69 Letter from Meg Munn MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ev 437 70 Forced Marriage Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ev 446 71 Rights of Women Ev 471 72 Leicester City Council Ev 471 73 Lancashire County Council Ev 472 List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament The reference number of the Government’s response to each Report is printed in brackets after the HC printing number. Session 2007–08 First Report The Government’s Counter-Terrorism Proposals HC 43 Second Report Bulgarian and Romanian Accession to the EU: Twelve months HC 59 on Third Report Security Industry Authority HC 144 Fourth Report Work of the Committee in 2007 HC 226 Fifth Report A Surveillance Society? HC 58 Session 2006–07 First Report Work of the Committee in 2005–06 HC 296 Second Report Young Black People and the Criminal Justice System HC 181 (Cm 7217) Third Report Justice and Home Affairs Issues at European Union Level HC 76 (HC 1021) Fourth Report Police Funding HC 553 (HC 1092) Session 2005–06 First Report Draft Corporate Manslaughter Bill (First Joint Report with HC 540 Work and Pensions Committee) (Cm 6755) Second Report Draft Sentencing Guideline: Robbery HC 947 Third Report Draft Sentencing Guidelines—Overarching Principles: HC 1231 Domestic Violence and Breach of a Protective Order Fourth Report Terrorism Detention Powers HC 910 (Cm 6906( Fifth Report Immigration Control HC 947 (Cm 6910( Sixth Report Draft Sentencing Guideline: Sexual Offences Act 2003 HC 1582 Processed: 04-06-2008 19:01:52 Page Layout: COENEW [SO] PPSysB Job: 392023 Unit: PAG1 Home Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday 22 January 2008 Members present Rt Hon Keith Vaz, in the Chair Ms Karen Buck Gwyn Prosser David T C Davies Bob Russell Mrs Janet Dean Martin Salter Patrick Mercer Mr Gary Streeter Margaret Moran Witnesses: Chief Constable Brian Moore, Association of Chief Police OYcers’ lead for domestic violence, and Ms Jude Watson, Domestic Violence Implementation Manager, Crown Prosecution Service, gave evidence. Q1 Chairman: Mr Moore and Ms Watson, I incidence of domestic abuse is probably of the welcome you to this session of the Home AVairs order of 30 million incidents per annum which is Select Committee.