The petition pushes for judges to receive mandatory training from experts who work with women and children facing domestic abuse, such as Women’s Aid, rather than the current training that is designed by the judicial system.

In the petition, Mel says: “On behalf of survivors of domestic abuse, I, Melanie Brown MBE, am calling for the Judicial College to commit to compulsory ongoing training that is designed and delivered with experts. I am also calling [on the] government to be accountable for this and taking forward the recommendations in the Harm Panel Report 2020, including an urgent change that where there is domestic abuse or serious harm, we do not presume there should be contact – children’s safety always has to come first. Our research shows that survivors do not feel that they have been listened to or their concerns acted on – it is not good enough, and we cannot wait any longer.”

Mel B launches petition with Women’s Aid to call on judges to undertake expert-led domestic abuse training