Domestic Violence
Domestic violence presents itself in many guises - physical, psychological, sexual or financial. It will mainly take place behind close doors, within the family environment, forming patterns of behaviour that can be described as anything from manipulative to controlling.
Despite recent headlines that suggest men are victims of such crimes, research shows that domestic violence, particularly repeated assaults, is in most cases inflicted by men on women. Certainly women experience the most serious physical and repeated assaults, which cross all divides - race, ethnic or religious group, class, sexuality, disability or lifestyle.
As well as destroying women’s lives, children are often affected, either abused themselves, witnesses to the violence or simply growing up in a home where violence, fear and stress can be sensed in the atmosphere.
A staggering quarter of all women in the UK will experience domestic violence in their lifetime and up to 10% will suffer domestic violence in any given year.
It is thought that only around a third of domestic violence crime (36%) is reported to the Police. Yet, the 2001/02 British Crime Survey found that there were an estimated 635,000 reported incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales that year, 81% of the of these against women. These incidents were responsible for over 20% of all violent incidents reported in the survey.
No other type of crime has a rate of repeat victimisation as high as a domestic violence, with more than half (57%) of victims involved in more than one incident.
A study by the housing organisation Shelter showed that 40% of all homeless women stated domestic violence was a contributor to them being homeless.
A census conducted by Women's Aid in 2004 estimated that a total of 18,569 women and 23,084 children were accommodated in refuges during the year 2003/04.
There are many organisations such as Eaves that can provide safe accommodation and support to victims and their children. For more information see “About us” or “Links”.