Engender Equality stands with the Tasmanian specialist family violence sector in support of the Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2022 (the Bill).
We welcome with particular enthusiasm the introduction of strangulation as a stand-alone criminal offence in Tasmania. This new offence allows the Tasmanian criminal-justice system to prosecute acts of strangulation, choking and suffocation in a manner that is commensurate with the severe physical and psychological harm they effect. We acknowledge with gratitude the tireless work of family violence survivor and Engender Equality Advocate Deborah Thomson in campaigning for this meaningful legislative reform.