The Ministry of Justice has removed a £318 fee that survivors of domestic abuse and violence previously had to pay to keep their details off public registers. While campaigners welcome the move, they warn that systemic obstacles still stand in the way of meaningful protection for those at risk.
The "Person at Risk of Violence" (PARV) fee removal represents progress in eliminating financial barriers to safety, but highlights broader challenges within a protection system struggling with court delays, underfunded services, and uneven support across different victim groups.
📋 What Changed
- £318 "Person at Risk of Violence" (PARV) fee completely scrapped
- Applies to all survivors of violence and domestic abuse, regardless of gender
- Removes financial barrier to keeping addresses off public insolvency records
- Government frames as ensuring "no one prevented from seeking protection because of cost"
- Change follows long-standing campaigns by domestic abuse charities
What the PARV Fee Was
The Person at Risk of Violence fee was a £318 charge that domestic abuse survivors had to pay to prevent their personal details appearing on public insolvency registers. This meant that victims fleeing dangerous situations often faced the impossible choice between financial hardship and personal safety.
For survivors already dealing with the economic impact of leaving abusive relationships often having to abandon shared finances, employment, and housing the additional £318 fee created a significant barrier to accessing basic protection measures.
How It Worked
The fee was required to:
- Keep addresses confidential on public bankruptcy and insolvency records
- Prevent abusers from using official registers to track victims
- Protect family members and children from being located through public records
- Provide anonymity during financial proceedings related to abuse situations
Government Announcement
Ministers announced the fee removal as part of broader efforts to support domestic abuse survivors, emphasizing that cost should never prevent someone from seeking protection. The change applies universally to all survivors of violence and domestic abuse, explicitly including both male and female victims.
The Ministry of Justice presented the reform as building on previous improvements under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which broadened legal protections but left gaps in enforcement and practical support.
💬 Campaign Impact
Domestic abuse charities had long argued that charging vulnerable people for basic safety protections was fundamentally unjust. The fee removal represents a victory for sustained advocacy efforts highlighting how financial barriers compound the dangers faced by abuse survivors.
What This Means in Practice
Immediate Benefits
- Financial Relief: Survivors no longer need to choose between safety and paying bills
- Increased Access: More victims likely to seek protection without cost barriers
- Gender Inclusion: Male victims explicitly included in policy benefits
- Family Protection: Children and dependents benefit from improved parent safety
Remaining Barriers
Despite the positive step, significant obstacles to protection remain:
- Court Delays: Backlogs mean victims wait months for protective orders and enforcement
- Underfunded Services: Support organizations lack resources to meet demand
- Geographic Inequality: Services unevenly distributed across different regions
- Male Victim Stigma: Despite policy inclusion, men still face cultural barriers to seeking help
- Economic Abuse: Financial control by abusers creates ongoing vulnerability
The Broader Context
Scale of Domestic Abuse
The policy change occurs against a backdrop of widespread domestic abuse affecting millions:
- Women: Approximately 1 in 4 experience domestic abuse in their lifetime
- Men: Around 1 in 6-7 face domestic abuse, often underreported
- Children: Millions grow up in households affected by domestic violence
- Economic Cost: Domestic abuse costs the UK economy billions annually
Legislative Progress and Gaps
The fee removal builds on the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which represented the most significant legal reform in this area for decades. However, implementation has revealed gaps:
- Enforcement Challenges: New legal protections undermined by court delays
- Funding Shortfalls: Support services unable to cope with increased demand
- Training Gaps: Police and court staff need better domestic abuse awareness
- System Coordination: Different agencies struggle to work effectively together
Gender-Inclusive Approach
The government's explicit inclusion of male victims in the fee removal represents recognition of domestic abuse as affecting all genders, though practical challenges remain for men seeking support.
Male Victim Challenges
- Social Stigma: Cultural expectations make it harder for men to report abuse
- Service Gaps: Fewer specialist services designed for male victims
- Legal Assumptions: Courts and police may default to assuming male perpetration
- Support Networks: Less informal support available for men experiencing abuse
While policy changes like the fee removal benefit all victims, addressing these deeper structural and cultural barriers requires sustained effort beyond individual reforms.
Implementation and Impact
The practical impact of the fee removal will depend on broader system improvements. Campaigners emphasize that removing financial barriers is meaningless if victims can't access timely, effective protection through other channels.
Success Metrics
The reform's effectiveness should be measured by:
- Increased Applications: More people seeking PARV protection
- Faster Processing: Reduced delays in granting protection
- Gender Balance: Improved male victim participation
- Safety Outcomes: Reduced re-victimization and harm
Ongoing Challenges
Key areas requiring continued attention include:
- Court System: Addressing delays that leave victims unprotected
- Service Funding: Sustainable financing for support organizations
- Training Programs: Better preparation for frontline workers
- System Integration: Coordinated response across agencies
Looking Forward
The PARV fee removal represents important progress in supporting domestic abuse survivors, but highlights the complexity of providing comprehensive protection. While eliminating the £318 charge removes one barrier, the broader protection system requires sustained investment and reform.
For the thousands of people experiencing domestic abuse, the fee change offers immediate relief and demonstrates government recognition of their needs. However, true safety depends on addressing the systemic issues that continue to leave victims vulnerable: court delays, underfunded services, and cultural barriers that prevent help seeking.
The success of this reform will ultimately be measured not by the removal of one fee, but by whether survivors men and women alike can access the timely, effective protection they need when their lives are at risk.
As domestic abuse charities have consistently argued, protecting victims requires more than policy changes it demands a coordinated, well funded system that prioritizes safety over bureaucracy and recognizes that the cost of inadequate protection is measured in human lives, not just pounds and pence.
The scrapping of the PARV fee is a welcome step, but the real test will be whether survivors men and women alike can access timely, effective protection when they need it most.