Our sisters at Women’s Aid Federation England are currently running the #ChildFirst campaign. The campaign aims to draw attention on how the family court system can place children in danger from domestic abuse perpetrators.
The campaign calls on the family courts and the Government to put the safety of children back at the heart of all decisions made by the family court judiciary.
Child First launches alongside the report, Nineteen Child Homicides. The report tells the stories of the cases of nineteen children, all intentionally killed by a parent who was also a known perpetrator of domestic abuse.
No parent should have to hold their children and comfort them as they die.
Claire Throssell, mother to Jack and Paul, both killed in 2014 by their father
These killings were made possible through unsafe child contact arrangements, formal and informal. Over half of these child contact arrangements were ordered through the courts.
Key Statistics from Nineteen Child Homicides
- 19 children killed from 12 families
- 2 mothers killed
- 2 children seriously harmed through attempted murder
- For 7 out of the 12 families, the contact had been ordered through court
The campaign has received the support of the President of the Family Court, Lord Munby.
For more information on the campaign, visit the Women’s Aid UK website.