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Divorce Courts: Domestic Abuse

Asked by Alistair StrathernLabourMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 10 September 2025UIN 75171

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to account for the consequences of coercive control in divorce court (a) proceedings and (b) decisions.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones

It is a top priority for this Government to tackle violence against women and girls, including economic abuse and coercive control. The Law Commission’s 2024 scoping report on financial remedies on divorce considered the issue of domestic abuse, including economic abuse and coercive control, in relation to financial proceedings on divorce and the decisions made by the courts. The Government is carefully considering the report’s findings and will provide a response in due course.

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