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Legislation / Legal
ScotGov: The first protection order has been issued in Scotland to protect a victim of forced marriage. The legislation, which was introduced in Scotland on 28 November 2011, is the first in the UK to make it a criminal offence to breach an Order, leading to a two year prison sentence, a fine, or both.
Around 50 people from BME backgrounds have been assisted by the Scottish forced marriage & domestic abuse helpline since the legislation came into force in Scotland on 28 November 2011.
ICO: Leicestershire County Council have breached the Data Protection Act (DPA), following the theft of a briefcase containing sensitive personal data from a social worker’s home, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said recently.
The social worker had asked for permission to take the reports home in order to continue work on them, and this was authorised by the relevant manager, in accordance with the Council’s procedures. The authority had a policy in place but this didn’t relate to the handling of paper documents while working from home.
Press release & links
MoJ: Last week marked the second National Stalking Awareness Day. The aim of the day is to help more victims feel confident seeking help early and to make sure that those they report the crime to know what can be done to help them.
1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men are a victim of stalking at some point in their lives. The Government is introducing two specific criminal offences to tackle this abhorrent crime. They will carry a maximum sentence of 6 months and 5 years in prison respectively. The new offences are part of the Protection of Freedoms Bill and will be enacted as soon as possible.
MoJ: Last week marked the second National Stalking Awareness Day. The aim of the day is to help more victims feel confident seeking help early and to make sure that those they report the crime to know what can be done to help them.
1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men are a victim of stalking at some point in their lives. The Government is introducing two specific criminal offences to tackle this abhorrent crime. They will carry a maximum sentence of 6 months and 5 years in prison respectively. The new offences are part of the Protection of Freedoms Bill and will be enacted as soon as possible.
