Domestic Abuse: The Scale Of The Problem And Our Solution
1 in 4 Women, 1 in 6 Men and 1 in 2 Trans people will experience domestic abuse during their lifetime (National Centre for Domestic Violence, 2022). Let’s take a moment to think about that. Think about your street, your team at work, your friends and family, the likelihood is that someone you know will have been impacted by Domestic Abuse.
It is currently estimated that 2.1 million people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse between March 2022 and March 2023 (ONS, 2023) with an estimated annual cost to the UK economy of 78 billion pounds (DA Commissioners Report, 2023). Work to support the reduction in Domestic abuse is everyone’s problem and responsibility - The My CWA Engage Approach, (brought to you through Domestic Abuse Experts) is the solution.
What is Domestic Abuse?
What is Domestic Abuse?
Whilst the statistics and data clearly highlight the scale of the problem to fully appreciate the impacts and long-term consequences of experiencing domestic abuse, we must first clearly understand what is Domestic Abuse?
Domestic Abuse is any incident or pattern of incidents between those aged 16 years or over between a partner, ex-partner, relative or someone who for a time has had a parental relationship in relation to the same child (Domestic Abuse Act, 2021).
Domestic Abuse can include physical, sexual, economic, psychological, technological or emotional abusive behaviours. Many victims of domestic abuse also experience controlling and coercive behaviours.
The Scale Of The Problem
The Scale Of The Problem
Domestic Abuse can result in lasting and enduring consequences for not only the person who has experienced the harm but also for society as a whole. When considering the full scale of the problem, it can be sometimes useful to consider the impacts in relation to health, criminal justice and the implications for children.
Health Implications of domestic abuse
It is currently estimated that 1 in 8 women take their own life as a result of domestic abuse with almost 30 women a day attempting suicide as a result of their experiences with domestic abuse (Walby, 2004). Domestic abuse has been shown to negatively impact mental health and wellbeing of victims and survivors with between 30 and 60% of psychiatric in-patients currently believed to have experience severe domestic abuse (Howard et al, 2010).
What’s more, in the UK three women a week are currently believed to take their own life as a result of Domestic Abuse (Walby, 2004). Domestic Abuse not only increases the risk of a victim experiencing physical harm but also emotional and psychological distress.
Recent Safe Lives Insight Data has also highlighted that worryingly 1 in 5 high risk victims reported attending A&E as a result of their injuries in the year before getting effective help (Safelives, 2023). The importance of offering the right support at the right time is crucial to effectively supporting victims of abuse to move forward and escape the cycle.
This is only emphasised when it is considered that each year more than 75,000 people in the Uk are believed to be at high and imminent risk of being murdered or serious injured as a result of domestic abuse (Safe Lives, 2023).
Criminal Justice implications of domestic abuse
Last year the police recorded over 800000 domestic abuse related crimes (ONS, 2023). That’s 800,000 separate incidents of harm that adult and child victims have been exposed too. Of the 8000,000 recorded crimes there were 51,288 domestic abuse related prosecutions in England and Wales during the same period (ONS, 2023).
Whilst it is always hoped that a criminal justice outcome can be sought for a victim, often lack of evidence and fear of repercussions in supporting a conviction can impact the number of successful criminal justice outcomes.
Implications for Children in the context of domestic abuse
Implications for Children in the context of domestic abuse
At present it is believed that over 105,000 children live in homes where there is high-risk domestic abuse present with 27% of these children believed to be under the age of three years old (Safelives,2023). It is also believed that at least 18% of children in domestic abuse households are injured as a result of the abuse (Caada,2014).
Experiencing domestic abuse in childhood is widely recognised as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) and longer term potential lifelong implications of these experiences have be heavily document (see Morton, 2022; Ford 2017; Webster 2022).
The Solution To Ending Domestic Abuse: Engage
Engage is a whole family, whole system strategic approach to ending Domestic Abuse. Engage aims to priorities adult and child victim’s safety and recovery whilst holding those who harm to account for their behaviour. The Approach aims to for a shift in approach from the historic ‘identification and avoidance’ to that of one centered around ‘Understanding and Management’. The Engage approach focuses on prevention, intervention and education.
Prevention:
Age appropriate education and awareness that supports safety emotional regulation and key skills development from the age of 2 to 100 for all communities is vital for the scale of the problem to be both understand and reduced.
Intervention:
Effective intervention tailored to the clients needs in regards to their Age, Stage on the cycle of change and phase of relationship is crucial to bring about successful and lasting change. Engage looks to support those who harm to take account for their harmful behaviours through early interventions and high-quality therapeutic support. To effectively intervene support must be offered to both those who perpetrate the harm as well as those who have experienced the abuse.
Intervention
Education:
To make systemic change widespread and evidence-based education is required to effectively support professionals to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and understand how to appropriately support and guide those who are experiencing harm to move forward safely and escape the continuing cycle of violence as well as those who are perpetrating harm to be held to account and understand the implications and consequences of their actions.
For more information about the training, intervention and consultancy services offered through Domestic Abuse Experts by My CW, please contact training@mycwa.org.uk or book your free consultation below.
Sources:
1. Caada (2014), In Plain Sight: Effective help for children exposed to domestic abuse: 2nd national policy report. Bristol: Caada.
2. Ford, K. (2023). Living with domestic abuse in childhood. [online] SafeLives. Available at: https://safelives.org.uk/news-views/living-with-domestic-abuse-as-an-ace/.
3. GOV.UK (2021). Domestic Abuse Act 2021. [online] Legislation.gov.uk. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/17/contents.
4. HM Government (2023). Domestic Abuse Commissioners Report: “A Patchwork of provision: how to meet the needs of victims and survivors across England and Wales” – Government Response. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/640207b38fa8f527f6680283/FINAL_Annex_A_-_DAC_Mapping_Report_Government_Response__clean_.pdf
5. Howard, L.M., Trevillion, K., Khalifeh, H., Woodall, A., Agnew-Davies, R. and Feder, G. (2010), Domestic violence and severe psychiatric disorders: prevalence and interventions in ‘Psychological Medicine’ (2010), 40 ,881-893. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
6. Morton, S., Curran, M., & Barry O'Gorman, M. (2022). Adverse Childhood Experiences, Domestic Violence and Substance Misuse: An Action Research Study on Routine Enquiry and Practice Responses. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 892849. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.892849;
7. National Centre for Domestic Violence. (2023). Domestic Abuse Statistics UK. Www.ncdv.org.uk. https://www.ncdv.org.uk/domestic-abuse-statistics-uk/
8. Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023). ONS Website, Statistical bulletin, Domestic Abuse Overview: November 2023. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/domesticabuseinenglandandwalesoverview/november2023
9. SafeLives. (2023). Insights Idva Dataset 2021-2022, SafeLives: Bristol lp
10. Walby, S. (2004), The cost of domestic violence. Women and Equality Unit. London: Home Office
11. Webster E. M. (2022). The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Health and Development in Young Children. Global pediatric health, 9, 2333794X221078708. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X221078708