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This consultation is not limited to women who have experience of domestic violence - the All Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence wants to hear from anyone who has something relevant to say. Your contribution can help establish a new parliamentary agenda on domestic violence. - If you would like to read more about domestic violence, go to the top of this page and click on Briefing.
- If you would like to visit other domestic violence websites, go to the top of the page and click on Links.
The Hansard Society's recent research on public perceptions of parliament found that people feel that it is remote from them and not very interested in what they have to say. The new Interactive Communications Technologies (ICTs) offer new opportunities to link citizens with their representatives and to widen the range of knowledge and ideas brought to parliamentary deliberation. This consultation is the third in The Hansard Society's pilot series of online consultations designed to evaluate the potential of the ICTs to inform and empower people to engage with the Parliamentary process.
This consultation on Domestic Violence is a chance to really test the boundaries of the new technology. It involves a group of people who are outside the reach of Parliament, may not have had any previous experience of using the internet and may have a special need for a safe private space and emotional support whilst they participate.
The Hansard Society has employed a co-ordinator to ensure that we are able to reach out to women who have lived with domestic violence and hear the widest possible experience of women. Women's Aid has provided expert guidance and support for the consultation as well as helping to identify survivors of domestic violence through their network of refuges.
We have also been liasing with local providers of Internet Access and training throughout the country and putting them in touch with women participants.
Domestic Violence affects one in four women, we hope that this consultation gives women the chance to write about their concerns and experience and for the first time be heard directly by Members of Parliament. This is an opportunity for some women to experience using the Internet for the first time, an opportunity to connect with other women who have lived with domestic violence as well as make an important contribution to parliamentary debate on domestic violence.
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