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All the latest from HER-itage and our affiliates

7 February 2024 23:55 ~ Consultation: Defining child to parent abuse – Home Office – Closing date

Summary

  • We are seeking views on the definition of child to parent abuse (CPA).
  • This consultation closes at 11:55pm on 7 February 2024

Consultation description

Although we know that children can be vulnerable to harm by adults, there is also growing research into children displaying harmful behaviours towards parents/caregivers. There is no agreed definition for this type of harm or abuse, making it difficult to identify and talk about. In the absence of an agreed definition, various terms and descriptions are used.

The Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan committed to developing a sector agreed definition and updating the guidance for frontline professionals in line with it. For the purposes of this consultation document, the Home Office is using the term child to parent abuse (CPA) until terminology has been agreed.

The statutory definition of domestic abuse, as defined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, concerns abuse between those who are personally connected and over the age of 16, with children being recognised as victims in their own right where they see, hear, or experience the effects of the abuse and they are related to either the abuser or the abused. For this reason, the definition of CPA will apply to those under 16, so as not to duplicate the definition of domestic abuse. Working Together to Safeguard Children is clear that all children (0-18) should receive a safeguarding response, including where they are causing harm to others and steps should be taken to understand the child’s behaviour.

The key aims of an agreed definition are:

  • to establish a common language around CPA
  • to support identification by frontline professionals and parents and caregivers of this type of abuse, in order to make it easier to seek and offer support

This consultation seeks views on both the headline terminology for, and descriptors of, CPA which will together make up the definition. The definition will be agreed first then used as the basis for the guidance for frontline professionals which will follow. The guidance will provide an opportunity to provide further detail on the definition and consider some of the complex issues surrounding this type of abuse, for example the challenges faced by a child or their special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

This consultation will be open for 10 weeks, closing on 7 February 2024 at 23:55. You can reply via the online form(*) or by emailing CPAConsultation@homeoffice.gov.uk

The consultation is aimed at:

  • support services working in the field of CPA
  • academics with a research interest in CPA
  • specialist domestic abuse services
  • frontline professionals working in health, social care, education, policing, and youth offending
  • specialist services/ working with children with SEND
  • parents/family members/caregivers with experience of CPA
  • any other interested stakeholders, including those with experience of CPA and users of support and prevention services

British Sign Language users

If you want to enquire about submitting a British Sign Language video consultation response, email CPAConsultation@homeoffice.gov.uk

(*) For documents in other languages and how to respond go to https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/defining-child-to-parent-abuse

 

December 20, 2023

22 January 2024 23:59 ~ Abortion clinic safe access zones – Home Office consultation – closing date

Summary

  • We are seeking views on the clarity and content of draft non-statutory guidance for abortion clinic Safe Access Zones.
  • This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 22 January 2024

Consultation description

  • Unfortunately, due to a technical error, all responses submitted through the web form before 10:00 on 12/12/23 cannot be considered. Please can any individuals who submitted a response before this time resubmit their response. Responses submitted after this time are unaffected.

During the passage of the Public Order Act 2023, Parliament voted to introduce legislation to prohibit certain activities within 150 metres of an abortion clinic or a hospital that provides abortion services (“Safe Access Zones”). The debates during the passage of the legislation showed that many people have firmly held – but opposing – views about the merits of curtailing the right to protest in order to enable women to freely access abortion services.

This is new legislation and determining the appropriate balance between competing interests will not always be straightforward. Therefore, the Home Office has produced draft non-statutory guidance to support the introduction of Safe Access Zones.

This guidance is designed to ensure that abortion service providers and everyone within Safe Access Zones are clear as to what is expected under the new law and that law enforcement agencies have a clear and consistent understanding around the enforcement of Safe Access Zones.

It is underpinned by the following key principles:

  • it is unacceptable for anyone to be harassed or distressed simply for exercising their legal right to access abortion services
  • the rights to gather, to express views and to manifest religious beliefs are a cornerstone of democracy in Britain. People should be free to gather and express their views, however uncomfortable they are to others, providing they do so within the law

This consultation seeks to ensure that we get the balance right in implementing Safe Access Zones. We are seeking views on the clarity and content of the non-statutory guidance and if it reflects what is contained within the Public Order Act 2023.

This consultation will be open for 6 weeks, closing on Monday 22 January 2024 at 11:59pm.

You can reply via the online form or by emailing sazconsultationinbox@homeoffice.gov.uk

This consultation is aimed at:

  • abortion service providers and health professionals
  • pro-life organisations and supporters
  • pro-choice organisations and supporters
  • current and former service users
  • local Authorities in England and Wales
  • police Forces and Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales
  • local residents of abortion clinics and hospitals
  • any other interested organisations or members of the public

To download relevant documents and to respond to the consultation go to https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/abortion-clinic-safe-access-zones-non-statutory-guidance

 

December 20, 2023

22 January 2024 23:59 ~ Abortion clinic safe access zones – Home Office consultation – closing date

Summary

  • We are seeking views on the clarity and content of draft non-statutory guidance for abortion clinic Safe Access Zones.
  • This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 22 January 2024

Consultation description

  • Unfortunately, due to a technical error, all responses submitted through the web form before 10:00 on 12/12/23 cannot be considered. Please can any individuals who submitted a response before this time resubmit their response. Responses submitted after this time are unaffected.

During the passage of the Public Order Act 2023, Parliament voted to introduce legislation to prohibit certain activities within 150 metres of an abortion clinic or a hospital that provides abortion services (“Safe Access Zones”). The debates during the passage of the legislation showed that many people have firmly held – but opposing – views about the merits of curtailing the right to protest in order to enable women to freely access abortion services.

This is new legislation and determining the appropriate balance between competing interests will not always be straightforward. Therefore, the Home Office has produced draft non-statutory guidance to support the introduction of Safe Access Zones.

This guidance is designed to ensure that abortion service providers and everyone within Safe Access Zones are clear as to what is expected under the new law and that law enforcement agencies have a clear and consistent understanding around the enforcement of Safe Access Zones.

It is underpinned by the following key principles:

  • it is unacceptable for anyone to be harassed or distressed simply for exercising their legal right to access abortion services
  • the rights to gather, to express views and to manifest religious beliefs are a cornerstone of democracy in Britain. People should be free to gather and express their views, however uncomfortable they are to others, providing they do so within the law

This consultation seeks to ensure that we get the balance right in implementing Safe Access Zones. We are seeking views on the clarity and content of the non-statutory guidance and if it reflects what is contained within the Public Order Act 2023.

This consultation will be open for 6 weeks, closing on Monday 22 January 2024 at 11:59pm.

You can reply via the online form or by emailing sazconsultationinbox@homeoffice.gov.uk

This consultation is aimed at:

  • abortion service providers and health professionals
  • pro-life organisations and supporters
  • pro-choice organisations and supporters
  • current and former service users
  • local Authorities in England and Wales
  • police Forces and Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales
  • local residents of abortion clinics and hospitals
  • any other interested organisations or members of the public

To download relevant documents and to respond to the consultation go to https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/abortion-clinic-safe-access-zones-non-statutory-guidance

 

December 20, 2023

Porn industry to be scrutinised to assess the damage it causes individuals and society by Independent Reviewer – Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

  • Pornography review will advise government on ways to tackle harmful impact of pornography on viewers and how abuse and exploitation is addressed in the modern industry.
  • Review will also assess law enforcement for online porn and whether more needs to be done to tackle illegal pornography.
  • Baroness Gabby Bertin appointed as independent lead reviewer, bringing expertise in tackling violence against women and girls to government review.

The porn industry will be scrutinised by a dedicated reviewer who has been appointed to assess the damage it causes individuals and society.

Baroness Bertin will look at abuse, exploitation and trafficking in the pornography industry, pornography’s impact on viewers, and ways to bolster law enforcement to help tackle illegal pornographic content will also be examined in the Pornography Review, as part of new objectives published today (Friday 1 December).

The review will build on the government’s work to take the long-term decisions for a better future for our children and grandchildren through the Online Safety Act, by stopping children from accessing pornography online by requiring services to establish the age of their users, including through age verification and age estimation tools.

It will review how viewing pornography impacts users of all ages, including emerging challenges from AI generated pornography. It will also review both the current rules placed upon the pornography industry and other services that host pornographic content, and whether law enforcers have the tools they need to identify and tackle illegal pornographic content.

The review will examine how we can help the police identify exploitation and abuse in the industry, as well as identifying what barriers there are to enforcing the law and punishing those committing offences.

In particular, the review has been tasked to consider the links between the pornography industry and the prevalence of human trafficking and exploitation and users’ attitudes towards women and girls. It will then recommend what can be done to tackle this, including improving reporting and identification.

The review will then recommend to government what more could be done to address these challenges and provide support and guidance to those who need it on the potentially harmful impacts of pornography.

To lead the review, Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan has appointed Baroness Bertin, who has worked consistently to tackle violence against women and girls, now sitting as Vice Chair of the All-Parliamentary Party Group on Domestic Violence and Abuse.

The review will also draw on expertise from law enforcement, the criminal justice system, external experts and the pornography industry to look at the existing regulation and whether the existing criminal offences are adequately enforced online as they are offline.

The objectives for the review as set out in the terms of reference are to:

  1. Understand the prevalence and harmful impact of illegal pornography online, and the impact of other forms of legal pornography including emerging themes like AI-generated pornography, its impact on users, and on viewer’s attitudes to violence against women and girls.
  2. Assess the public’s awareness and understanding of existing regulation and legislation of pornography.
  3. Consider the current rules in place to regulate the pornography industry, comparing online and offline laws.
  4. Determine if law enforcers and the justice system are responding to illegal pornography sufficiently, and if change is needed.
  5. Find out how prevalent human trafficking and exploitation is in the industry, before recommending how to identify and tackle this.
  6. Use this knowledge to set out what more can be done to provide those who need it with guidance on the potential harmful impact of pornography.

And:

Part of a longer press release at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/illegal-pornography-abuse-and-exploitation-to-be-investigated-by-new-reviewer

 

December 20, 2023

Porn industry to be scrutinised to assess the damage it causes individuals and society by Independent Reviewer – Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

  • Pornography review will advise government on ways to tackle harmful impact of pornography on viewers and how abuse and exploitation is addressed in the modern industry.
  • Review will also assess law enforcement for online porn and whether more needs to be done to tackle illegal pornography.
  • Baroness Gabby Bertin appointed as independent lead reviewer, bringing expertise in tackling violence against women and girls to government review.

The porn industry will be scrutinised by a dedicated reviewer who has been appointed to assess the damage it causes individuals and society.

Baroness Bertin will look at abuse, exploitation and trafficking in the pornography industry, pornography’s impact on viewers, and ways to bolster law enforcement to help tackle illegal pornographic content will also be examined in the Pornography Review, as part of new objectives published today (Friday 1 December).

The review will build on the government’s work to take the long-term decisions for a better future for our children and grandchildren through the Online Safety Act, by stopping children from accessing pornography online by requiring services to establish the age of their users, including through age verification and age estimation tools.

It will review how viewing pornography impacts users of all ages, including emerging challenges from AI generated pornography. It will also review both the current rules placed upon the pornography industry and other services that host pornographic content, and whether law enforcers have the tools they need to identify and tackle illegal pornographic content.

The review will examine how we can help the police identify exploitation and abuse in the industry, as well as identifying what barriers there are to enforcing the law and punishing those committing offences.

In particular, the review has been tasked to consider the links between the pornography industry and the prevalence of human trafficking and exploitation and users’ attitudes towards women and girls. It will then recommend what can be done to tackle this, including improving reporting and identification.

The review will then recommend to government what more could be done to address these challenges and provide support and guidance to those who need it on the potentially harmful impacts of pornography.

To lead the review, Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan has appointed Baroness Bertin, who has worked consistently to tackle violence against women and girls, now sitting as Vice Chair of the All-Parliamentary Party Group on Domestic Violence and Abuse.

The review will also draw on expertise from law enforcement, the criminal justice system, external experts and the pornography industry to look at the existing regulation and whether the existing criminal offences are adequately enforced online as they are offline.

The objectives for the review as set out in the terms of reference are to:

  1. Understand the prevalence and harmful impact of illegal pornography online, and the impact of other forms of legal pornography including emerging themes like AI-generated pornography, its impact on users, and on viewer’s attitudes to violence against women and girls.
  2. Assess the public’s awareness and understanding of existing regulation and legislation of pornography.
  3. Consider the current rules in place to regulate the pornography industry, comparing online and offline laws.
  4. Determine if law enforcers and the justice system are responding to illegal pornography sufficiently, and if change is needed.
  5. Find out how prevalent human trafficking and exploitation is in the industry, before recommending how to identify and tackle this.
  6. Use this knowledge to set out what more can be done to provide those who need it with guidance on the potential harmful impact of pornography.

And:

Part of a longer press release at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/illegal-pornography-abuse-and-exploitation-to-be-investigated-by-new-reviewer

 

December 20, 2023