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Minister Jess Phillips says the new measures will “help people go about their lives with confidence”
Stalking victims will get “peace of mind” by being told the identity of their abusers under new government proposals, the minister for safeguarding has said.
Jess Phillips said the proposed “right to know” statutory guidance aims to tell victims the identity of their abuser at the earliest opportunity.
“It’s the most important thing,” she said.
“Currently victims might not be told who their stalker is – leaving them potentially walking past them on street without them knowing,” she told the Today programme.
The change is part of the government’s plans give more protection to victims of stalking in England and Wales – with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pledging the government will use “every tool available” to take power away from abusers.
About one in five women aged 16 and over in England and Wales have been a victim of stalking at least once, official figures show.
The government said it had worked with broadcaster and activist Nicola Thorp, whose stalker is serving a 30-month jail sentence, in developing the new protections.
Ms Thorp had been unable to find out the identity of her stalker until he appeared in court.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Thorp said the “right to know” would have been crucial in relieving the “psychological impact” of her experience.
“Well-meaning police officers felt worried they were going to breach this guy’s right to anonymity and GDPR – so he had his identity protected. I felt like a sitting duck – and I started to suspect everybody”.
“It would have given me some form of power back in my life to know who this man was – but more importantly, who he wasn’t,” she added.
Under the new measures, Stalking Protection Orders – which can ban alleged stalkers from contacting or being within a certain distance of their victims – will be made more widely available, the government said.
The changed approach
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