DOMESTIC ABUSE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
DOMESTIC ABUSE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Jonathan Herring
Cambridge – Antwerp – Chicago
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Domestic Abuse and Human Rights © Jonathan Herring 2020
Th e author has asserted the right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, to be identifi ed as author of this work.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from Intersentia, or as expressly permitted by law or under the terms agreed with the appropriate reprographic rights organisation. Enquiries concerning reproduction which may not be covered by the above should be addressed to Intersentia at the address above.
Artwork on cover: dpaint / Shutterstock
ISBN 978-1-78068-231-0 D/2020/7849/139 NUR 828
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Intersentia v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Th e original plan was to co-author this book with Shazia Choudhry.
Unfortunately, other (very exciting) projects prevented her from being directly involved, but I have worked with her on these issues over many years and her ideas occur throughout this book. She has also been a support and friend throughout the writing process.
I am also grateful to many other friends and colleagues who have been encouraging and intellectually stimulating during this book project. In particular, Alan Bogg, Charlotte Elves, Charles Foster, Imogen Goold, Michelle Madden Dempsey and Rachel Taylor. Th e team at Intersentia have been great and especially Ann-Christin Maak-Scherpe who has been very supportive of this book from the very beginning and Rebecca Moff at for her excellent work as managing editor.
My family, Kirsten, Laurel, Joanna and Darcy, have been hilarious throughout the writing of the book. Th is book focuses on the misery that home life can bring, but they have been a constant reminder of the joy and love it can provide too.
Intersentia vii
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements . . . v
List of Cases . . . xiii
Chapter 1. An Introduction to Domestic Abuse and Human Rights . . . . 1
1. Introduction . . . 1
2. Terminology . . . 1
3. Legal Attitudes Towards Domestic Abuse . . . 3
4. Domestic Abuse in its Social Context . . . 5
5. Privacy . . . 8
6. Human Rights . . . 10
7. Violence against Women . . . 15
8. Outline of the Coverage of this Book . . . 17
Chapter 2. Th e Nature of Domestic Abuse . . . 19
1. Introduction . . . 19
2. Statistics . . . 19
3. Offi cial Defi nitions . . . 21
3.1. Th e World Health Organization . . . 21
3.2. Th e Istanbul Convention . . . 22
3.3. Th e Council of Europe . . . 22
3.4. Th e European Commission . . . 23
3.5. UK Law . . . 23
3.6. Discussion of the Defi nitions . . . 25
4. Developing a Defi nition of Domestic Abuse. . . 25
4.1. Coercive Control . . . 26
4.2. Intimate Relationship . . . 32
4.3. Patriarchal Social Inequality . . . 33
4.3.1. How Domestic Abuse Sustains Patriarchy . . . 37
4.3.2. How Patriarchy Sustains Domestic Abuse . . . 40
5. Gender and Domestic Abuse . . . 43
5.1. Gender and Statistics . . . 44
Intersentia Contents
viii
5.2. Victims of Domestic Abuse Outside the Heterosexual
Context . . . 46
5.3. Problems with the Category ‘Women’ . . . 50
5.3.1. Th e Gender Binary . . . 50
5.3.2. Intersectionality . . . 51
6. Conclusion: Th e Wrongs of Domestic Abuse . . . 55
6.1. Loss of Freedom . . . 55
6.2. A Breach of Trust . . . 56
6.3. Attack on the Self . . . 56
6.4. Th e Impact on Children . . . 57
6.5. Public Harms . . . 57
Chapter 3. Th e ECHR, the Istanbul Convention and Domestic Abuse . . . 59
1. Introduction . . . 59
2. Th e ECHR . . . 60
2.1. An Introduction . . . 60
2.2. Th e Right to Protection . . . 62
2.2.1. Article 2 . . . 62
2.2.2. Article 2 and Domestic Abuse . . . 63
2.2.3. Article 3 . . . 63
2.2.4. Article 3 and Domestic Abuse . . . 67
2.2.5. Article 6 . . . 71
2.2.6. Article 8 . . . 73
2.2.7. Article 8 and Domestic Abuse . . . 75
2.2.8. Article 13 and the Right to a Remedy . . . 76
2.2.9. Article 14 . . . 76
2.2.10. Article 14 and Domestic Abuse . . . 77
2.3. Balancing Diff erent Rights . . . 80
2.4. Losing Respect . . . 84
2.5. Positive Duties on the State . . . 87
2.5.1. Th e Level of Knowledge Required . . . 87
2.5.2. What is Required of the State? . . . 92
2.5.2.1. General Duties . . . 92
2.5.2.2. Specifi c Operational Duties . . . 94
2.6. Conclusion . . . 99
3. Th e Istanbul Convention . . . 99
3.1. An Introduction . . . 99
3.2. Gender and the Istanbul Convention . . . 101
Contents
Intersentia ix
3.3. Prevention . . . 106
3.4. Protection and Support . . . 107
3.5. Prosecution . . . 108
3.6. Policy Integration . . . 110
4. Conclusion . . . 111
Chapter 4. Legal Responses to Domestic Abuse . . . 113
1. Introduction . . . 113
2. Th e Range of Legal Responses . . . 113
3. Problems with the Traditional Substantive Criminal Law’s Response to Domestic Abuse . . . 114
3.1. Th e Photograph Approach . . . 115
3.2. Th e Nature of Harm in the Criminal Law . . . 115
3.3. An Example of the Problem of Traditional Criminal Law and Domestic Abuse . . . 117
4. Th e Off ence of Coercive Control . . . 119
4.1. Th e Defi nition of Coercive and Controlling . . . 121
4.2. Repeatedly and Continuously . . . 122
4.3. Personally Connected . . . 122
4.4. Th e Impact of the Behaviour . . . 123
4.5. Th e Required Mental State . . . 124
4.6. Th e Exclusion of Parents . . . 125
4.7. Defences. . . 125
5. Should there be a Specifi c Domestic Abuse Off ence? . . . 126
5.1. A Special Wrong? . . . 126
5.2. Th e Incident Approach . . . 130
5.3. Gender-Neutrality . . . 131
5.4. Distinguishing Abusive from Non-Abusive Behaviour . . . 132
5.5. Th e Required Mental State . . . 134
5.6. Defence . . . 135
6. Victims of Domestic Abuse and Defences. . . 136
6.1. Loss of Control . . . 137
6.2. Diminished Responsibility . . . 139
6.3. Self-Defence . . . 142
6.4. Conclusion on Defences for Victims of Domestic Abuse . . . 144
7. Prosecution Policy in Domestic Abuse Cases . . . 145
7.1. Arguments for Pro-Prosecution Policies . . . 146
7.2. Arguments against Pro-Prosecution Policies . . . 149
7.3. Conclusions on Prosecution Policy . . . 153
Intersentia Contents
x
8. Civil Orders . . . 153
8.1. Who can Apply for these Orders? . . . 154
8.2. Occupation Orders . . . 155
8.3. A Human Rights Analysis . . . 156
9. Non-Legal Approaches . . . 157
10. Conclusion . . . 158
Chapter 5. Domestic Abuse and Children . . . 159
1. Introduction . . . 159
2. Statistics on Domestic Abuse and Children . . . 161
3. Statistical and Conceptual Links between Domestic Abuse and Child Abuse . . . 162
3.1. Statistical Links . . . 162
3.2. Conceptual Similarities . . . 163
4. Witnessing or Living with Domestic Abuse as a Form of Child Abuse . . . 165
4.1. Being Harmed in the Incident . . . 168
4.2. Children as Tools in the Abuse . . . 169
4.3. Loss of Normality . . . 170
4.4. Negative Role Modelling . . . 170
5. Abusing the Maternal–Child Relationship is Abusing the Child . . . . 172
6. Contact and Domestic Abuse . . . 174
6.1. Th e Harm of Confl ict . . . 177
6.2. Parental Alienation . . . 179
6.3. Downplaying the Severity of Abuse . . . 184
6.4. Diffi culties of Proof . . . 185
7. Th e Case for a Strong Presumption against Contact where Domestic Abuse has been Found . . . 186
7.1. Domestic Abuse as Evidence of Bad Parenting . . . 186
7.2. Responsibility for Behaviour . . . 187
7.3. Th e Importance of the Child–Primary Carer Bond . . . 188
8. Child Protection . . . 188
9. Human Rights . . . 190
10. Conclusion . . . 192
Chapter 6. Th e Abuse of Parents by Children . . . 195
1. Introduction . . . 195
2. Statistics . . . 196
Contents
Intersentia xi
3. Defi nitions . . . 198
3.1. Coercive Control and Parental Abuse . . . 199
3.2. Parental Abuse and Patriarchal Structural Inequality . . . 200
3.2.1. Gender . . . 200
3.2.2. Motherhood . . . 202
3.2.3. Childhood . . . 203
3.2.4. Links with Domestic Violence and Witnessing It . . . . 205
4. Tensions in the Parental Abuse/Domestic Abuse Link . . . 206
5. Legal Responses . . . 208
5.1. Criminal Law . . . 208
5.2. Civil Orders . . . 210
5.3. Child Protection . . . 211
6. Non-Legal Interventions . . . 212
7. Conclusion: Developing a Human Rights Approach . . . 213
Chapter 7. Elder Abuse . . . 215
1. Introduction . . . 215
2. Defi ning Elder Abuse . . . 216
2.1. Coercive Control . . . 218
2.2. Intimacy . . . 218
2.3. Patriarchy and Elder Abuse . . . 219
2.3.1. Sexism . . . 220
2.3.2. Ageism . . . 220
2.3.3. Intersectionality and Elder Abuse . . . 222
3. Statistics on Elder Abuse . . . 223
4. ‘Caregiver Stress’ . . . 225
5. Elder Abuse and Domestic Abuse . . . 226
6. A Rights-Based Approach to Elder Abuse . . . 229
7. Legal Responses to Elder Abuse . . . 230
7.1. Crime and Elder Abuse . . . 230
7.1.1. Gaps in the Current Law . . . 230
7.1.2. An Off ence of Elder Abuse? . . . 234
7.2. Rights of Protection . . . 236
8. Conclusion . . . 238
Chapter 8. Concluding Th oughts . . . 241
Index . . . 245
Intersentia xiii
LIST OF CASES
A v Croatia Application No. 55164/08 ... 70
A v UK [1998] 3 FCR 597 ... 61 , 92 , 98 Airey v Ireland [1979] 2 EHRR 305 ... 72
Aksoy v Turkey Application No. 21987/93 ... 65
August v UK Application No. 36505/02 ... 98
B ă l ș an v Romania Application No. 49645/09 ... 92 , 103 Bensaid v UK [2001] 33 EHRR 10 ... 75
Buckley v UK (1996) 23 EHRR 101 ... 75
Buturuga v Roumania Application No. 56867/15 ... 91
Campbell and Cosans v UK (1982) 4 EHRR 293 ... 66
CAS & CS v Romania [2012] ECHR 512 ... 94
Chahal v UK [1997] 23 EHRR 79 ... 64
Da Silva Mouta v Portugal (2001) 31 EHRR 47 ... 230
Danini v Italy Application No. 22998/93 ... 90
DB v HB v IB [2017] EWFC B24 ... 181
Đor đ evi ć v Croatia (2012) EHRR 1640 ... 65 – 66 , 75 – 76 , 97 DP and JC v UK [2003] 36 EHRR 14 ... 76
DSD v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2014] EWHC 436 (QB) ... 94
Durmaz v Turkey Application No. 42584/98 ... 63
E v UK [2002] 3 FCR 700 ... 61 , 70 , 92 , 98 Eremia v Moldova Application No. 3564/11 ... 75 , 93 – 94 Frett é v France [2004] 38 EHRR 438 ... 77
G v G (Occupation Order: Conduct) [2000] 2 FLR 36 ... 155 – 156 Hansen v Turkey [2004] 1 FLR 142 ... 74
Ilascu v Moldova and Russia [GC] Application No. 48787/99 ... 64
Ireland v UK (1979 – 80) 2 EHRR 25 ... 65
Jeunesse v Th e Netherlands Application No. 12738/10 ... 192
Kilic v Turkey Application No. 63034/11 ... 94
Kiyutin v Russia (2011) 53 EHRR 364 ... 77
Kontrov á v Slovakia Application No. 7510/04 ... 63 , 91 , 95 Lancashire CC v B [2000] 2 AC 147 ... 211
M v Italy (2013) 57 EHRR 29 ... 94
Mastromatteo v Italy Application No. 37703/97 ... 92
Menson v UK [2003] EHRR CD 220 ... 93
MG v Turkey Application No. 646/10 ... 78 – 79 Mikulic v Croatia Application No. 53176/99 ... 78 Mudric v Moldova Application No. 74839/10 ... 65 – 66 , 98
Intersentia List of Cases
xiv
Olsson v Sweden (No. 2) (1992) 17 EHRR 134 ... 73
Oneryildiz v Turkey (2005) 41 EHRR 20 ... 93
Opuz v Turkey (2010) 50 EHRR 28 ... 64 , 68 , 77 , 81 , 88 , 93 , 95 , 96 , 153 Osman v UK (1998) 29 EHRR 245 ... 88 – 89 , 95 , 97 P v C and Others (Child Arrangements Order) [2018] 2 FLR 1139 ... 182
Perevedentsevy v Russia Application No. 39583/05 ... 90
Petrovic v Austria (2001) 33 EHRR 307 ... 76 – 77 Pretty v UK (2002) 35 EHRR 1 ... 75 , 86 R v Acott [1997] 1 All ER 706 ... 138
R v Ahluwalia [1992] 4 All ER 990 ... 137 , 139 R v Chan Fook [1994] 1 WLR 698 ... 119
R v Cocker [1989] Crim LR 740, ... 137
R v Dhaliwal [2006] EWCA Crim 1139 ... 118
R v Hinks [2000] UKHL 53 ... 233
R v Jackson [1891] 1 QB 671 ... 4
R v Katira [2020] EWCA Crim 89 ... 129
R v Newington (1990) 91 Cr App R 247 ... 232
R v Stone and Dobinson [1977] QB 354 ... 231
R v Th ornton [1992] 1 All ER 306 ... 138
Rabone v Pennine Care NHS Trust [2012] UKSC 2 ... 93
Re B-H [2015] EWCA Civ 389 ... 182
Re J-M (A Child) [2014] EWCA Civ 434 ... 175
Re K (Children) [2016] EWCA Civ 99 ... 184
Re L, V, M, H (Contact: Domestic Violence) [2001] Fam 260 ... 175 – 176 Re MFS (Appeal: Transfer of Primary Care) [2019] EWHC 768 ... 181
Re S (Children) [2010] EWCA Civ 421 ... 190
Re S (Parental Alienation: Cult) [2020] EWCA Civ 568 ... 180
Re T (A Child: Suspension of Contact: Section 91(14) CA 1989) [2015] EWCA Civ 71 ... 175
Re V (A Child) (Inadequate Reasons for Findings of Fact) [2015] EWCA Civ 274 ... 184
Re W (Children) [2012] EWCA 999 ... 175
Re Y (Children) (Occupation Order) [2000] FCR 470 ... 155
Rutherford (No 2) v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry [2006] UKHL 19 ... 77 , 230 Salman v Turkey (2002) 34 EHRR 17 ... 64
Savage v South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust [2009] 1 AC 691 ... 95
Secic Secic v Croatia (2009) 49 EHRR 408 ... 98
Silver v UK (1983) 5 EHRR 344 ... 73
List of Cases
Intersentia xv
S ö derman v Sweden (2013) 57 EHRR 29 ... 96 – 97
State v Norman 366 SE 2d 586, 588 (NC App 1988) ... 30
Talpis v Italy [2017] ECHR 075 ... 66 , 78 , 91 – 92 TM and CM v Moldova Application No. 26608/11 ... 71 , 78 Toma š ic v Croatia Application No. 21753/02 ... 63
Tyrer v UK (1978) 2 EHRR 1 ... 66
Valiulienė v Lithuania Application No. 33234/07 ... 60 – 61 , 66 , 70 , 91 – 92 , 96 , 98 Van Colle v UK (2013) 56 EHRR 23 ... 97
Volodina v Russia Application No. 41261/17 ... 68 – 69 , 77 – 79 , 93– 94 Vosylius v UK (2013) 57 EHRR SE 20 ... 92
Wieser v Austria Application No. 2293/03 ... 66
Wilson v UK Application No. 10601/09 ... 98
X and Y v the Netherlands (1986) 8 EHRR 235 ... 74
Yemshaw v London Borough of Hounslow [2011] UKSC 3 ... 25 Z v UK [2001] 2 FCR 246 ... 61 , 88 , 92
