Across the globe, the fight against domestic abuse is taking on new urgency and innovation, with recent legal and policing reforms marking a turning point for victims and survivors. In the United Kingdom and China, authorities are rolling out new protections, legal definitions, and court precedents that aim to close gaps in the law and provide victims with more robust, flexible avenues for safety and justice.
In the UK, a sweeping pilot scheme for Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) has already shielded more than 1,000 victims since its launch in November 2024, according to the Home Office and Ministry of Justice. These orders, now active in Greater Manchester, the London boroughs of Croydon, Bromley, and Sutton, as well as in Cleveland, North Wales, and even on the railways via the British Transport Police, are being hailed as a "game-changing" tool in the government's mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
Unlike previous legal mechanisms, DAPOs have no fixed duration. Courts can tailor conditions to the needs of each case, imposing restrictions for as long as necessary to keep victims safe. These might include electronic monitoring—sometimes called "tagging"—mandatory attendance at behavior-change programs, or orders to abstain from contacting or approaching victims. The orders are broad in scope, covering not just physical violence but also economic abuse, controlling or coercive behavior, stalking, and so-called "honour"-based abuse.
Commander Clair Kelland, the Metropolitan Police’s public protection lead, summed up the significance: "The Met is committed to securing justice for victims of domestic abuse and the protection of victims is our priority. Although still in the early stages, these new powers are proving essential in preventing abuse from escalating and ensuring offenders face swift action—meaning they cannot repeat their behaviour." As she explained to the BBC, the new orders are "another tool to protect victims, alongside driving up charges for serious offences including rape and serious sexual assault and providing additional training to officers."
Figures from the Metropolitan Police show that, since last year, officers in Croydon, Bromley, and Sutton have issued 219 emergency notices and secured 180 court-backed DAPOs. The consequences of breaching these orders are severe: one offender is already serving a 12-month prison sentence, while others have been electronically tagged or directed to attend mandatory programs, including drug and alcohol support sessions. Nationally, breaching a DAPO is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
Importantly, the pilot scheme doesn't just protect victims living within the participating boroughs. While perpetrators must reside in the pilot areas, victims themselves can live elsewhere, expanding the scheme's reach. The orders also extend to non-physical abuse, ensuring protection from all forms of harm—including the insidious, less visible kinds of control and intimidation that often go unreported.
Access to protection has also been streamlined. Traditionally, officers would apply for a DAPO on behalf of a victim to a magistrates’ court, but a new route now allows victims to apply directly to the family court for free. Courts of all types—criminal, civil, or family—can issue a DAPO on their own initiative during proceedings, even if the case isn't primarily about domestic abuse. Third parties such as local authorities, charities, and social services can also apply, making the process more accessible than ever before.
Alongside these legal reforms, the Met has launched new victim support services as part of its Victim Strategy. The "My Met Service" online platform lets victims share instant feedback via QR code, email, or SMS after speaking to an officer. A dedicated phone line, the Victim Focus Desk, has been expanded to provide more regular updates, and new information leaflets help ensure victims know their rights under the Victim’s Code of Practice.
In Greater Manchester, Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker told ITV News, "We are incredibly proud to have had the chance to shape the domestic abuse protection order pilot and be the largest pilot area in the country. Our dedicated teams have secured over 500 orders in the last year, and we are now live in 8 of 10 Greater Manchester districts. The protection of victims is our utmost priority, and this pilot has afforded us greater opportunities to safeguard vulnerable people, without them needing to provide a statement or go to court and take robust action against perpetrators."
Meanwhile, in North Wales, police have implemented over 70 orders since April 2025, targeting high-risk, high-harm offenders. Detective Superintendent Jackie Downes, head of the Protection of Vulnerable People Unit, said, "We have seen the positive impacts these new orders can have, with courts taking any breaches seriously, ensuring victims and families are better protected against perpetrators of domestic abuse."
But it’s not just the UK making strides. On Friday, November 21, 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court took a historic step by unveiling eight "guiding cases" on domestic violence, with a special focus on psychological abuse as a legally actionable offense. As reported by Sixth Tone, these guiding cases are meant to set new judicial precedents across China, clarifying that repeated humiliation, threats of self-harm, and other patterns of psychological harm are recognized under Chinese law as domestic violence.
China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law, enacted in March 2016, already defined domestic violence to include both physical and psychological harm. Yet, as prosecutorial data from November 2024 show, battery and homicide still account for about 80% of criminal domestic violence cases, and the courts have historically struggled to treat domestic violence as more than a "family dispute." The new guiding cases address this head-on. For instance, one case involved a defendant convicted for prolonged verbal abuse that drove his girlfriend to suicide. In another, a man was fined and restrained after threatening self-harm during an argument with his wife—both now recognized as forms of domestic violence.
Physical violence cases in the new guidelines also break new ground. In one, a man received a 15-year sentence for raping and molesting his 12-year-old stepdaughter, even though she retracted her statement—setting precedent that courts can consider coercion and other evidence when victims reverse their testimony. Another case saw a four-year sentence handed down for rape without physical resistance, establishing that lack of resistance does not equal consent.
The court also affirmed that violent discipline of children is domestic violence, especially when coupled with psychological harm. One case detailed a child who suffered both physical injuries and severe depression after repeated beatings. Importantly, the court recognized victims’ rights to compensation, as in the case of a full-time housewife granted a divorce and awarded 100,000 yuan for household labor and 50,000 yuan in damages.
Zhang Ying, a Beijing-based lawyer, told Sixth Tone, "Only by consistently promoting the citation of the supreme court’s typical cases and legal reasoning in judicial practice can we genuinely advance anti-domestic violence efforts across society and the judicial system." She noted, however, that challenges remain, such as the tendency for courts to dismiss divorce petitions in domestic violence cases when the defendant opposes the split.
As these reforms unfold, advocates and officials alike recognize that securing protection orders and setting legal precedents are only part of the picture. As Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey put it, "Securing protection orders is only part of the picture. We now need the wider criminal justice system to meaningfully enforce them and for other partners to play a role in delivering the behavioural change required to reduce violence against women and girls permanently."
With new laws, court precedents, and frontline policing strategies, the landscape for domestic abuse victims is changing. While obstacles remain, these developments offer hope that the cycle of abuse can be broken—one order, one case, and one survivor at a time.
