Legislation to protect spouses vital

LEGALLY, the Supreme Court finding against the constitutionality of temporary barring orders, may be sound. Socially, however, the finding will have dire consequences for thousands of spouses, mostly women, who live in fear of violent partners.

Up to now, a spouse could get a temporary barring order in the District Court without notifying the other party, a measure which operates until a full hearing.

Effectively, this procedure has now been overturned by yesterday’s ruling, which described as inexplicable the failure of the legislature to impose any time limit on such a temporary order.