UK Domestic Abuse Law Reveals Thousands With Record of Violent Past

Introduced in March 2014, Clare's Law is intended to provide partners in a relationship the opportunity to tap into police records and help make an informed decision. At least 1,335 disclosures of partners with a history of domestic abuse out of 3,760 applications have been made since the program's launching.

MOSCOW, January 26 (Sputnik) — Nearly a year after coming into force, the UK Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme has revealed over 1,300 partners in past or current relationships with a record of domestic abuse, the Independent reported Monday.

"This is what it is in just the first year, all these people know about Clare's Law, they're going to tell another five, another dozen, and next year this is going to snowball," the father of the disclosure scheme's name-bearer, Michael Brown, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The law was named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend five years ago. Her former partner had a history of violence against women, a fact that Wood had not been aware of at the time.

"The fact there have been almost 4,000 applications shows just how serious a problem domestic violence is in this country. Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner," Hazel Blears, parliament member and Clare's law advocate, was quoted as saying by the publication.

Introduced in March 2014, Clare's Law is intended to provide partners in a relationship the opportunity to tap into police records and help make an informed decision. According to the publication, at least 1,335 disclosures of partners with a history of domestic abuse out of 3,760 applications have been made since the program's launching.

According to the Women's Aid Federation of England charity, every minute one case of domestic abuse is reported to law enforcement bodies in the UK, while on average two women are killed by a current or former partner every week in the country.