WINCHESTER Soroptimists are calling on their local MPs to press the Secretary of State for Justice to take urgent action to protect victims of domestic abuse.

Members of Soroptimist International of Winchester, an organisation aiming to transform the lives of females through education, empowerment and opportunities, took part in the observational work at Portsmouth and Basingstoke Magistrates Courts.

Their findings are included in the Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts (SDAC) report published by Soroptimists across the country on Monday, June 26.

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The lack of independent support to victims giving evidence in court, poor use of technology, inadequate implementation of domestic abuse training given to court officials and the need for a total review of the Victim Personal Statement (VPS) system were all identified by the independent observers as shortcomings in the court system.

The England-wide study highlighted that a system that was developed over a five-year period in 1999 to provide specific support to the victims of domestic abuse fails to meet the standards of service people should expect.

Winchester club president Julie Blackwell said: “Our work has contributed to this independent review across England of how these courts should be improved for victims of abuse, the majority of whom are women.

“Soroptimists stand up as advocates for all women, especially for those who have no voice. We have worked as independent observers to give the public confidence in our courts, but we also want to drive improvement and our recommendations seek to help build public trust in our justice system.

“As observers it was a fascinating insight into the working process of the domestic abuse courts which include the police and the probation service.

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"The legal process was prolonged through delays in evidence and sometimes locating the perpetrator. There were instances of homelessness, where addresses were no longer in use. Trial dates seemed to be set a long way after the case was heard, making the pain of the situation seem unnecessarily lengthy.

“We urge the Ministry of Justice to take immediate action to improve the systems which we have identified to ensure a better experience and outcome for all victims of domestic abuse.”

Recommendations included better training on dealing with domestic abuse cases for magistrates, judges and Crown Prosecutors and better reviews by criminal justice partners of the Victim Personal Statement (VPS) process and domestic abuse court system.

The full report, ‘Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts – How Special Are They?’, is available to view at sigbi.org/2023/specialist-domestic-abuse-courts/.