Life sentences for rape, new charge for ‘slow femicide’ in Labor domestic violence pledge
The Victorian Labor government has proposed a series of legal reforms to combat domestic violence, including life sentences for rape and a new manslaughter charge for 'slow femicide.' The changes also aim to criminalize the abandonment of victims in medical need and increase standard murder sentences for domestic partners.
Why it matters
These reforms represent a significant shift in legal definitions of domestic violence and coercive control, potentially setting a precedent for how judicial systems handle intimate partner abuse.
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Share A A A Rapists could be jailed for life and domestic abusers who murder current or former partners would face longer sentences under a suite of changes the Carroll government is promising to try to reduce violence against women.
An Australian-first manslaughter charge for perpetrators whose use of family violence causes someone to take their own life would also be introduced if Labor wins in November – making the phenomenon known as “slow femicide” a new offence.
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