Jade's Law
Petition campaign of the year nominee
The Petition Campaign of the Year Award celebrates people who have used petitions to campaign for change.
The campaigners behind Jade's Law were nominated for the Award by the Petitions Committee.
Jade Ward was murdered by her ex-partner in 2021. Her killer was found guilty and assumed guardianship of her children. Edwin Duggan, a family friend and campaigner, and Jade’s family campaigned to change the law.
Edwin started a petition to automatically suspend the parental rights of a parent found guilty of murdering the other parent. It received 130,179 signatures and was debated in Parliament in November 2022.
The petition creator, working with Jade's family, secured media coverage about the issue. They raised the profile of the campaign, and met with different MPs to seek support for this change.
In the Government’s response to the petition and in the debate, it said it had no plans to change the current law. The Minister agreed to a meeting to explore the issue further.
Following the campaign, the Government announced in October 2023, that it would introduce Jade’s Law by amending the Victims and Prisoners Bill.
"Campaigning has been both emotional and rewarding. I found a flaw in the legal system which failed families.
"After wording the petition in such a way not to conflict with any existing legislation (HRA for instance) I soon had a team of volunteers made up of Jade's family and close friends, TeamJade.
"We campaigned online, and then in cities including London, Blackpool, Manchester and Chester. After the petition closed, after the debate, I continued putting pressure on the Government to change their minds. The road to success has been long, however, worth it. Failure is not in my vocabulary. The legacy for Jade is complete."
"As Chair of the Petitions Committee, I have seen first-hand the incredible campaigning of these three groups of petitioners.
"The work that each of them put it into their campaigns, often beginning in times of grief, have led to positive changes across the country.
"I want to pay tribute to each of them and wish them luck."
Cat Smith MP
Chair of the Petitions Committee
The other nominees
3 Dads Walking
Make suicide prevention a compulsory part of the school curriculum
Owen's Law
Change the law around allergy labelling in UK restaurants
3 Dads Walking won the Petition Campaign of the Year Award for 2023.
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