Victims of domestic violence will have two years to report abuse, instead of six months after the incidents occurred.
Also, taking pictures or videos of women without their knowledge while breastfeeding their children will become a legal violation that carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.
These legal amendments in force in England and Wales come after months of murders targeting women in public places, including Londoner Sarah Everard, who was killed by a policeman in a crime that sparked a wave of impact and a torrent of testimonies from women who expressed their feelings of insecurity in the country.
“Beyond the headlines about these tragic incidents, the scale of violence against women and girls is appalling,” Justice Minister Dominic Raab told The Telegraph.
He added, “During the twelve months leading up to March 2020, 1.6 million women were victims of domestic violence, more than 600,000 women were sexually assaulted and nearly 900,000 were harassed.”
The British minister pointed out that “the fear of staying alone after dark or of being beaten at home is an unfortunate daily reality for many,” adding, “We have to reverse the verse” by conveying feelings of fear to the aggressors.
“Protecting women and girls and restoring their confidence in the criminal justice system is my absolute priority,” Raab emphasized.
The British government apologized last year for having “failed” over the years “thousands” of rape victims, with the number of convictions dropping to its lowest levels despite the large increase in complaints.
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