By Isle of Wight Observer
Richard Quigley, MP for the West Wight, yesterday (Thursday) led a Westminster Hall debate on ‘Protecting Children from Domestic Abuse’, timed to coincide with the UN’s 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence. In his opening remarks, he stressed that children are not simply passive witnesses to domestic abuse but victims in their own right.
Mr Quigley tabled the debate in honour of the 19 children killed by perpetrators of domestic abuse between 2015 and 2024, underlining the scale of the problem. He noted that in the year ending March 2024, an estimated 1.8 million children in England were affected. While 70 per cent of those children said they would seek support, 61 per cent admitted they would not know where to find it.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 was a landmark in recognising children as victims. However, Mr Quigley warned that while the Act “diagnosed the problem,” it has yet to provide an adequate cure, with funding failing to keep pace with rising demand for services.
He shared the story of an Isle of Wight woman who suffered abuse both as a child and later in her own relationship. She told him: “Like so many children, I became part of a cycle I never chose. After watching my mother suffer abuse, I unknowingly followed the same pattern. My daughter was born into a home where she, too, witnessed fear, control, and harm – things no child should ever see.”
Mr Quigley urged the government to amend the Children Act, implement long-promised family court reforms, roll out mandatory training across the justice system, and invest in prevention programmes in schools. He concluded: “Protecting children from domestic abuse is not just about safeguarding their present – it’s about securing their future. Every child deserves a home that feels safe, not one they fear returning to.”
Tilly Walder