Victims of domestic violence granted anonymity

Victims of domestic violence are often afraid to sign up to vote

Friday, 01, Jun 2007 12:00

New legislation comes into force today which allows victims of stalking or domestic abuse to register anonymously on the electoral register and maintain their right to vote.

The Electoral Administration Act allows councils to replace someone's name on the register with the letter 'N' once they have proved they are a legally recognised victim of stalking or domestic violence.

The regulations follow from consultation with women's and victims' rights groups. They replace the old system, whereby individuals could be removed from the public roll but not the unedited roll available only to police, councils and credit reference agencies.

This prevented many survivors of domestic violence from signing up to vote due to fear of being tracked down by their abuser.

Women's rights groups have welcomed the legislation with open arms.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of the national domestic violence charity Refuge, said: "Refuge welcomes this new legislation. It will help protect women and children who are still at risk of further violence.

"Women who have experienced domestic violence or stalking have the same right to vote as everyone else and this will allow them to do so without fear of being tracked down."

The Rights of Women group agreed.

"From our work, we know that many women who have experienced violence live in fear of being tracked down by their perpetrators through the electoral register," a spokesperson for the group said.

"Anonymous registration will make this more difficult and hopefully will allow women to live their lives free from the further threat of violence."