Raneem’s Law: Will it protect domestic abuse victims?
Raneem’s Law marks a serious step in the UK’s response to domestic abuse. The reform places domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms so police can recognise risk faster when victims call for help.
That approach matters. Yet delivery matters more.
Specialists can identify danger. Victims still need trained officers, fast attendance, proper safeguarding, protection for children and action when warning signs appear.
Aneeta Prem on Channel 5 News
Aneeta Prem MBE appeared on Channel 5 News on 21 January to discuss Raneem’s Law and the emergency response to domestic abuse.
She raised one central concern. The reform must change what happens in real time, not simply sound strong in a government announcement.
Specialist advice can help call handlers recognise risk. However, victims will only become safer if that advice leads to fast police attendance, proper safeguarding, support after the call and clear accountability when the system misses danger.
The issue remains simple. A specialist can identify risk, but police must still reach the victim in time.
Why Raneem’s Law matters
Raneem’s Law takes its name from Raneem Oudeh, who died alongside her mother, Khaola Saleem, in 2018 after repeated missed opportunities to protect them.
Before her death, Raneem called 999 several times. Earlier concerns had also reached police. The danger was visible, but the response failed.
That failure explains why this reform matters. Domestic abuse calls must never sound routine when a victim may face immediate danger.
At Freedom Charity, we know many victims cannot describe abuse in neat legal language. Fear, surveillance, threats and control can all make a caller sound hesitant or unclear.
One person may struggle to explain coercive control.
Another may fear forced marriage.
A third may face dishonour abuse from more than one relative.
Instead of using formal words, a frightened caller may simply say, “They are coming for me.”
The system must learn to hear what fear sounds like.
Domestic abuse remains a national emergency
Domestic abuse remains one of the most serious safeguarding issues in the UK.
The Office for National Statistics recorded 816,493 domestic abuse-related crimes in England and Wales in the year ending March 2025. That means police recorded more than 90 domestic abuse-related crimes every hour.
Behind every figure sits a person who may feel frightened, isolated, monitored or unable to leave safely.
Many victims never call 999. Fear of retaliation keeps some silent, while others worry that no one will believe them without visible injuries.
Children, immigration concerns, financial dependence and family pressure can make escape even harder.
Raneem’s Law matters because a 999 call may give the state its last chance to act before abuse becomes fatal.
What Raneem’s Law does
Raneem’s Law places domestic abuse specialists inside 999 control rooms. These specialists support emergency call handlers, identify risk, advise officers and help victims reach specialist support.
Domestic abuse often shows itself through patterns, not single incidents.
One call may involve stalking, threats, separation risk, financial control, threats to children, immigration abuse, forced marriage, FGM or pressure from more than one family member.
Without specialist understanding, police can miss that wider pattern.
The Government launched Raneem’s Law in five police forces: West Midlands, Northumbria, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Humberside. It intends to use learning from those forces to inform wider rollout.
Why Raneem’s Law could save lives
Raneem’s Law could improve the first emergency response to domestic abuse.
Call handlers need specialist knowledge at the point where a victim may face the greatest risk. That support could help police identify danger earlier, link repeated reports and stop treating serious abuse as an isolated argument.
The reform also sends a necessary message. Domestic abuse is not a private matter. It is a safeguarding emergency.
When a victim calls 999, police must respond with urgency, skill and seriousness.
Why Raneem’s Law could still fail
Raneem’s Law will fail if ministers and police forces treat it as a headline rather than an operational duty.
Several questions still need clear answers.
How many domestic abuse specialists will each control room have?
Will specialist cover run through the night and at weekends?
If several high-risk calls come in at once, who decides which victim receives immediate attention?
Do frontline officers receive the same depth of domestic abuse training as control-room staff?
What response time applies when a specialist identifies high risk?
Who checks that police have linked previous calls, earlier reports and warning signs?
These are not administrative details. They are life-and-death questions.
Police can still fail a victim after a specialist identifies risk. Delay, poor safeguarding, weak perpetrator management or no follow-up support can all leave a victim exposed.
Raneem’s Law must recognise hidden abuse
Domestic abuse does not always involve one perpetrator and one victim in a simple household setting.
Some victims face threats from partners, relatives or wider family networks. Others may risk forced marriage, FGM, dishonour abuse or being taken abroad.
In those cases, danger can hide behind silence, family pressure, community control or fear of being disowned.
Freedom Charity has always argued that professionals must understand the full context of abuse. Perpetrators may use money, immigration status, children, family reputation, isolation or shame as tools of control.
A 999 system that only looks for visible injury will miss many victims.
Raneem’s Law must include proper training on coercive control, stalking, separation risk, forced marriage, FGM and dishonour abuse.
Domestic Abuse Protection Orders must work in practice
Raneem’s Law sits alongside wider domestic abuse protection reforms, including Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 created those orders. They can place restrictions on perpetrators and, where a court orders it, include electronic monitoring.
But an order only protects someone when the system enforces it.
When a victim reports a breach, police must act quickly. If electronic monitoring raises an alert, someone must respond. Court delays can weaken protection and leave victims exposed.
Legal protection must mean real protection, not paper protection.
Education must sit alongside emergency response
Laws matter, but they cannot end domestic abuse alone.
Freedom Charity works to prevent abuse through education, early intervention and safeguarding awareness. Our work with children, schools and professionals challenges coercion, control, violence and harmful ideas before they become embedded.
Through our Not In My Name campaign, we also encourage boys and men to become part of the solution.
Prevention must start early. Young people need to understand consent, control, forced marriage, FGM, misogyny, violence and the difference between love and ownership.
Raneem’s Law can improve the emergency response. Education can help stop more emergencies from happening.
Both approaches matter.
What the Government and police must answer
For Raneem’s Law to protect victims, the Government and police forces must answer clear questions.
The public needs to know how many specialists each force will have.
Specialist cover must operate when victims face greatest risk, including overnight.
Training should cover coercive control, stalking, separation risk, forced marriage, FGM and dishonour abuse.
Police systems must identify repeat callers, previous reports and escalating danger.
High-risk domestic abuse calls need clear response standards.
Officers must identify and safeguard children in the household.
Protective order breaches should trigger urgent action.
Forces should publish data on response times, referrals, arrests, missed risk and outcomes.
Clear accountability must follow when someone wrongly downgrades or mishandles a high-risk call.
Without transparency, the public cannot know whether Raneem’s Law works.
Will Raneem’s Law protect victims?
Raneem’s Law could save lives. It places domestic abuse expertise where victims urgently need it: at the point of a 999 call.
Yet it must not become a comforting headline.
The reform will only work if it changes what happens in real time. Victims need trained call handlers, specialist advice, fast police attendance, proper safeguarding, support after the call and enforcement when perpetrators breach orders.
Raneem and Khaola did not die because no warnings existed. They died after the system failed to act on those warnings.
Raneem’s Law must make sure the next warning leads to immediate action.
Support Freedom Charity
Freedom Charity works to protect children, young people and people at risk of forced marriage, FGM, dishonour abuse, virginity testing, coercive control and exploitation.
You can support our work by sharing our resources, booking safeguarding education, using the Freedom App, supporting our helpline and donating to help us reach those who may feel too frightened to ask for help.
FAQs
What is Raneem’s Law?
Raneem’s Law places domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms. The reform aims to help police recognise risk faster, support call handlers and improve the emergency response to victims of domestic abuse.
Why is it called Raneem’s Law?
The law takes its name from Raneem Oudeh, who died alongside her mother, Khaola Saleem, in 2018. Raneem had called 999 before her death.
Did Aneeta Prem speak about Raneem’s Law on Channel 5 News?
Yes. Aneeta Prem MBE appeared on Channel 5 News on 21 January to discuss Raneem’s Law and the need for training, funding, police response capacity and accountability.
Can Raneem’s Law protect victims?
Raneem’s Law could save lives, but only if the Government and police forces fund, staff and enforce it properly. A specialist in a control room can identify danger, but victims still need fast police attendance, safeguarding and support after the call.
What could make the law fail?
Too few specialists, limited 24-hour cover, poor training, slow police response, weak safeguarding or no clear accountability could all weaken the reform.
Why does Freedom Charity link this issue to forced marriage, FGM and dishonour abuse?
Some victims face abuse from more than one person or from wider family networks. Domestic abuse training must recognise forced marriage, FGM, dishonour abuse, coercive control and hidden family pressure, not just visible violence.
Where should someone go in an emergency?
If someone faces immediate danger, they should call 999 and ask for the police. If they cannot speak and they call from a mobile, they can press 55 when prompted.
Author
Aneeta Prem MBE founded Freedom Charity and wrote But It’s Not Fair and Cut Flowers. Freedom Charity protects children, young people and people at risk of forced marriage, FGM, dishonour abuse, virginity testing, coercive control and exploitation through education, safeguarding awareness and practical support.
Sources
Link “forced marriage” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/forced-marriage/
Link “FGM” to your main FGM page:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/female-genital-mutilation/
Link “dishonour abuse” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/dishonour-abuse/
Link “Freedom App” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/freedom-app/
Link “helpline” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/helpline/
Link “Not In My Name” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/not-in-my-name/
Link “But It’s Not Fair” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/but-its-not-fair/
Link “Cut Flowers” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/cut-flowers/
Link “Book A Visit” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/book-a-visit/
Link “Donate” to:
https://freedomcharity.org.uk/donate-now/
GOV.UK: Raneem’s Law launch:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-domestic-abuse-specialists-embedded-in-999-control-rooms
GOV.UK: DAPN and DAPO guidance:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-protection-notices-dapns-and-domestic-abuse-protection-orders-dapos
Office for National Statistics: Domestic abuse in England and Wales:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/domesticabuseinenglandandwalesoverview/latest