The United Nations designated 15th June as ‘Elder Abuse Awareness Day’ as an occasion to recognise and highlight the issue of elder abuse in the world and for each country to vocalise its opposition to the abuse and suffering inflicted upon some members of our older generations.

Today marks the start of National Stalking Awareness Week 2022 which runs from Monday 25th April 2022 to Friday 29 April 2022.

In February 2022, the Legal Services Agency introduced a discretionary waiver which will now mean that victims of domestic abuse may be eligible to Legal Aid when defending certain Children (NI) Order proceedings even if their financial circumstances might otherwise mean that they are ineligible.

Our Family Law Partner, Claire Edgar recently presented a talk on family law at an event organised by The Voices of Migrant Women. 

On 22nd February 2022, the Protection from Stalking Bill passed its Final Stage at the Stormont Assembly.

The High Court in England & Wales has for the first time used the term ‘gaslighting’ in a judgment to describe coercive behaviours.

In October 2021, Netflix released fictional 10-part series ‘Maid’ which quickly became one of the streaming site’s most successful shows, with over 67 million people having watched it worldwide to date.

Our Family Law Partner Karen Connolly has welcomed the opportunity to become involved in a Steering Group for Women’s Aid ABCLN ‘Older But No Safer’ Project.

On 3rd November 2021, our Family Law Partner Claire Edgar was invited to present a talk at this year’s Domestic Abuse Conference.

On 27th August 2021, our Family Law Partner, Claire Edgar presented at a training panel event to welcome newly appointed Advocates for ASSIST NI.

On 28th July 2021, our Family Law Partner, Claire Edgar, presented at a workshop event organised by the Safeguarding Board of Northern Ireland. The event entitled 'Refusing Contact/Parental Alienation' explored issues around domestic abuse and parental alienation.

Due to a wealth of experience in the area of international parental child abduction, Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors have been listed as specialist lawyers for Reunite International, a leading UK charity founded in 1987 to provide advice and support on issues surrounding the international movement of children.

In March 2021, the Court of Appeal in England handed down judgement in four appeals dealing with how allegations of domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour should be addressed by the Family Courts.  

An increasing number of cases involving allegations of parental alienation are coming before the Northern Ireland courts.

On 18th January 2021,  the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Bill passed its Final Stage in Northern Ireland Assembly.

On 18th January 2021, Minister for Justice Naomi Long introduced legislative proposals for a Protection from Stalking Bill to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The proposed Bill would create a specific criminal offence of stalking in Northern Ireland along with an offence of threatening and abusive behaviour that can be made out after a single incident.   

The High Court in Belfast has recently handed down a decision in the Matter of K (a minor) a Hague Convention case in which Francis Hanna & Co acted on behalf of one of the parents.

The High Court has delivered an important judgment in relation to the issue of whether the Domestic Proceedings Court has the power to extend Non-Molestation Orders. 

This Friday 3rd July, the High Court in Belfast will hear an emergency Judicial Review to determine whether the Court Service of Northern Ireland has acted lawfully by refusing to extend emergency Non-Molestation Orders put in place to protect victims of domestic abuse. It comes at a time when rates of domestic abuse have soared in Northern Ireland and charities have described “an explosion” of incidents in recent months.

It is highlighted this week in newly released PSNI statistics that the number of domestic abuse crimes in the last year has been the highest figure recorded in Northern Ireland the last 15 years.   In total, the PSNI recorded 31,817 incidents between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, an increase of 15 per cent on last year’s figures.