Petition · Ministry of Justice

Amend divorce law to protect survivors of spousal sexual abuse

Closed 199 signatures

What the petition asks

Change the law so that in cases where one spouse has been convicted of rape or other serious sexual offence against the other, the survivor is legally safeguarded from any financial claims made by their abuser in divorce proceedings.
The offender should not be entitled to any share of the survivor’s assets, whether those assets were brought into the marriage or gained during it. The survivor should retain full control of their property, savings, and pension contributions, without the offender being able to make any claim on them in divorce proceedings. Survivors should not face further harm or traumatisation in divorce proceedings, nor should they be expected to fund the lifestyle of an offender who attacked them.

Timeline

5 Dec 2025 Petition opened for signatures
5 Jun 2026 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 199
Status Closed
Department Ministry of Justice
Opened 5 Dec 2025
Closed 5 Jun 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 8 Aug 2026.