Isle Of Wight MP Leads Debate On Protecting Children From Domestic Abuse

Isle of Wight MP Richard Quigley has led a Westminster Hall debate today (27 November) on protecting children from domestic abuse, timed to coincide with the UN’s 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence.

Opening the debate, Mr Quigley stressed that children are not simply witnesses to domestic abuse but victims in their own right.

He dedicated the discussion to the 19 children killed by domestic abuse perpetrators between 2015 and 2024.

He highlighted the scale of the issue, noting that an estimated 1.8 million children in England were affected by domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024.

While 70% say they would seek help, 61% report they wouldn’t know where to find it.

Mr Quigley praised the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 for recognising children as victims, but warned that it “diagnosed the problem” without delivering a full solution, pointing to funding gaps and rising demand for support services.

During the debate, he shared the story of an Isle of Wight woman who experienced abuse both as a child and later in adulthood.

She told him:

“Like so many children, I became part of a cycle I never chose…

"My daughter was born into a home where she, too, witnessed fear, control and harm—things no child should ever see.”

Mr Quigley called on the Government to take urgent action, including:

• Updating the Children Act to reflect children’s lived experiences of domestic abuse, and to recognise coercive control as a form of harm.

• Publishing a clear timeline for family court reforms recommended in the 2020 Harm Panel Review.

• Introducing mandatory, multi-agency domestic abuse training across the family justice system.

• Investing in prevention programmes on violence against women and girls in schools and education settings.

He closed by saying:

“Protecting children from domestic abuse is not just about safeguarding their present—it’s about securing their future.”