Country	Disclosure Scheme	Public Statistics Available
England & Wales	✅ Clare’s Law (2014)	Yes – annual national statistics published.
Scotland	✅ Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (2015)	Yes – Police Scotland publishes application and disclosure figures.
Northern Ireland	✅ Domestic Violence and Abuse Disclosure Scheme (2018)	Limited public statistics.
Republic of Ireland	❌ No Clare’s Law scheme	No national disclosure statistics.
France	❌ No Clare’s Law	Uses specialist domestic violence courts, risk assessments and protection orders rather than partner disclosure schemes.
Spain	❌ No Clare’s Law	Uses the nationally recognised VioGén risk assessment and victim protection system rather than public disclosure of an offender’s history.
Germany	❌ No Clare’s Law	Relies on criminal justice, restraining orders and police protection measures.
Italy	❌ No Clare’s Law	Uses protective legal measures but no public disclosure scheme.
Netherlands	❌ No Clare’s Law	No equivalent disclosure scheme.
Belgium	❌ No Clare’s Law	No equivalent disclosure scheme.
Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland	❌ No Clare’s Law	No equivalent national disclosure schemes.

Why aren’t there European figures?

Most European countries have strict privacy and data protection laws that limit the disclosure of an individual’s criminal history to a current or prospective partner. Instead, they focus on:

• Police risk assessments
• Protection orders
• Specialist domestic violence courts
• Multi-agency safeguarding
• Victim advocacy services
• High-risk offender management

The UK remains unusual in giving members of the public a formal mechanism to ask police whether a partner has a known history of domestic abuse. 

Spain: A Different Model

As you’re based in Spain, it’s worth highlighting that Spain is often regarded as one of Europe’s leaders in domestic violence protection. Rather than a disclosure scheme, it operates VioGén, a national police risk assessment and victim protection system. VioGén links the police, courts and support services to assess risk and provide ongoing protection to victims, including tailored safety measures. While it does not disclose an offender’s history to the public, it is widely recognised as one of the most comprehensive domestic abuse monitoring systems in Europe.