The Child First campaign has been launched by Women's Aid to stop avoidable child deaths as a result of unsafe child contact with dangerous perpetrators of domestic violence.
Survivors of domestic abuse frequently tell Women's Aid that they can be re-victimised and traumatised by their abusers, even after separation, through the family court process.
“The family court was an arena for him to continue his abuse on a much more damaging scale. I wasn’t heard or listened too. My children have suffered drastically as a result.” – Survivor
Their campaign report, Nineteen Child Homicides, highlights the tragic stories of 19 children and 2 women in 12 families that were killed by perpetrators of domestic abuse in circumstances related to unsafe child contact within a ten year period. It’s possible that these deaths could have been prevented if the domestic abuse had been considered as an ongoing risk factor.
Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding says the controversy surrounding the EU's women on board proposals has helped to shine a spotlight
The domestic violence charity Refuge found that 75 per cent of the women in their safe houses had experienced extreme jealousy