WOMEN who are beaten up by their husbands could be granted anonymity in court under new Government proposals to stamp out domestic violence.

Victims, who often feel shame and embarrassment, would be more likely to testify against their attackers if their identities were protected, say ministers.

The proposal - mirroring laws which protect victims of sex crimes - is included in a shake-up of domestic violence laws being studied by Solicitor General Harriet Harman.

Other steps could include new laws to prevent harassment from abusive partners and provision for appeals if wife-beaters receive "insultingly lenient" sentences, she revealed yesterday.

The proposals will be welcomed by women's rights groups in North Yorkshire, where there are hundreds of cases of domestic violence each year.

A spokeswoman for York Women's Aid said: "Very often, victims of domestic violence feel unsupported by the justice system.

"Taking a perpetrator to court is often fraught with danger. It is also a difficult decision to make as the perpetrator shares your home, bed and your life.

"Any proposals that make things safer for women are welcomed by York Women's Aid."

Ms Harman said it was vital to drum home the message that violence at home would not be tolerated or go unpunished.

She said: "Women know that they have protection against being hit, kicked and beaten at work, and in the street.

"We want women to know they should not and need not put up with it at home either."

The Crown Prosecution Service deals with 13,000 domestic violence cases a year, Ms Harman said during a conference in London.

But hundreds more cases each year remain hidden behind the front door, say experts.

Changes in the law would show women that courts were "on their side" and that the government was committed to tackling the problem.

A "non-molestation" order could be created to prevent abusive partners from pursuing victims and their families who could easily be tracked down, she said.

Ms Harman's determination to get tough on perpetrators of domestic violence was highlighted in a recent case. She successfully appealed to the Court of Appeal to increase a wife-beater's non-custodial sentence to a six-month jail term.

One-third of all murders in England and Wales are classed as "domestic".

It also accounts for a quarter of all violent crimes, with devastating knock-on effects to families and the communities.

A spokeswoman for Ms Harman stressed the ideas being discussed were in the early stages of development and had not yet been adopted.

Updated: 12:13 Wednesday, June 26, 2002