We are still in March, which is Women’s History Month. This blog shines a spotlight on women who helped change the law.
For much of modern history, violence in the home was considered a private issue. Police were reluctant to intervene. Courts were inconsistent. Survivors were often advised to “go home and work it out.”
Domestic abuse was not viewed as a systemic issue. It was minimised, normalised or ignored. That changed because women organised. During Women’s History Month, it is important to recognise that the domestic abuse protections available today exist because women challenged silence.
The Early Movement
In the 1970s, grassroots activists across the UK began opening refuges in ordinary houses. They documented patterns of abuse. They gathered evidence. They reframed what was happening, not as individual relationship breakdowns, but as structural violence. These early campaigners shifted the narrative. They argued that coercion, intimidation and economic restriction were not “marital problems” but they were forms of harm and criminality.
That reframing laid the foundation for legal change.
Legal progress and ongoing gaps
Over the decades, domestic abuse law has evolved. Protective injunctions became more accessible. Coercive and controlling behaviour was criminalised in 2015. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 broadened definitions and strengthened protections.
These milestones were not inevitable. They were the result of sustained advocacy, research and survivor testimony. However, legislation alone does not guarantee safety. Barriers to access remain. Awareness varies. Referral pathways are inconsistent across regions. History shows us that progress must be continually defended or can begin to be rolled back.
The role of services today
Services like NCDV sit within that longer historical movement. Each time a professional recognises risk and makes a referral, whatever the gender, they are acting within a framework that was shaped by decades of women’s advocacy.
Each time a protective order is secured swiftly, it reflects legal tools that did not always exist. Women’s History Month is not only about looking back at what was achieved. It is about ensuring that the protections fought for remain accessible in practice.
Building the next chapter
The domestic abuse sector was built through persistence, research, frontline insight and survivor courage.
The next chapter depends on:
- Consistent referral practice
- Trauma-informed responses
- Early intervention
- Professional confidence in using legal protections
- Continued scrutiny of gaps in provision
History teaches us that change is possible when evidence and advocacy meet.
As we mark Women’s History Month, we recognise not only the women who built the foundations of domestic abuse protection, but the professionals and survivors continuing that work today.
The story is still being written.
Charlotte Woodward,
Head of Training & Development, NCDV