Domestic abuse is any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour,  violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.                                          

Behaviour of a person (“A”) towards another person (“B”) is “domestic abuse” if —

(a) A and B are each aged 16 or over and are personally connected to each other, and

(b) The behaviour is abusive.

Behaviour is “abusive” if it consists of any of the following—

(a)physical or sexual abuse;

(b)violent or threatening behaviour;

(c)controlling or coercive behaviour;

(d)economic abuse

(e)psychological, emotional or other abuse;

and it does not matter whether the behaviour consists of a single incident or a course of conduct

Controlling behaviour is: a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.

Coercive behaviour is: an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.

  • This definition includes so called ‘honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, and is clear that victims are not confined to one gender or ethnic group.      

The prevalence and incidence of domestic abuse:

  • On average two women a week are killed by a male partner or former partner: this constitutes around one-third of all female homicide victims 
  • Almost 30% women and 17% men in England and Wales have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16
  • An analysis of 10 separate domestic violence prevalence studies by the Council of Europe showed that 1 in 4 European women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes and between 6-10% of women suffer domestic violence in a given year
  • In over three-quarters (77%) of incidents of domestic violence the victims were women
  • Repeat victimisation accounts for 66% of all incidents of domestic violence and 21% of victims have been victimised three times or more 
  • Domestic violence accounts for 1 in 7 (14%) of all violent incidents in England and Wales 
  • Domestic abuse costs the tax payer an estimated £3.9bn per year and high risk domestic abuse makes up nearly £2.4bn of this 
  • It is estimated that before intervention by a MARAC or IDVA service, it costs nearly £20,000 to support the average high risk victim of domestic abuse over the course of a year 
  • ‘Rule of thumb’ – legal to beat wife with stick/weapon no thicker than husband’s thumb
  • Estimated- 35 incidents of abuse will take place before seeking help
  •  25% of victims never lived with perpetrator
  •  DV/Abuse is 16%-25% of all recorded violent crime in UK
  •  1 incident of DV is reported to Police every minute in UK
  • Each year around 2.1m people suffer some form of domestic abuse -  1.4 million women (8.5% of the population) and 700,000 men (4.5% of the population)  
  • Each year more than 100,000 people in the UK are at high and imminent risk of being murdered or seriously injured as a result of domestic abuse
  • Women are much more likely than men to be the victims of high risk or severe domestic abuse: 95% of those going to MARAC or accessing an IDVA service are women
  • In 2013-14 the police recorded 887,000 domestic abuse incidents in England and Wales 
  • Seven women a month are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales 
  • 130,000 children live in homes where there is high-risk domestic abuse
  • 62% of children living with domestic abuse are directly harmed by the perpetrator of the abuse, in addition to the harm caused by witnessing the abuse of others
  • On average victims experience 50 incidents of domestic abuse before getting effective help
  • On average high-risk victims live with domestic abuse for 2.6 years before getting help
  • Most victims – 85% - see on average 5 professionals in the year before they finally get effective support.

  • An adult is defined as any person aged 18 years or over.

  • Family members are defined as mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, and grandparents, whether directly related, in laws or stepfamily.
  • Domestic abuse occurs across society, regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality, wealth, and geography.
  • Domestic abuse is rarely a one-off incident, statistics inform us that people regularly have often suffered as many as 30 incidents before they make a disclosure.
  • Not all domestic abuse happens in the family home, some victims have never lived with the perpetrator, domestic violence sometimes continues once a relationship has ended.
  • People who are transient, have low socio-economic status or have mental health issues are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence.
  • Responsibility for domestic abuse always lies with the perpetrator – never with the person who has been abused.

There are different types of abuse which can include:

  • Psychological abuse - intimidation, insulting, isolation from  friends/family, criticising, forced marriage, threatening to harm children/take away
  • Physical abuse – such as hitting, shaking, punching and kicking, starving, burning, tying up, presence of finger or bite marks, suffocation, throwing objects, FGM, strangulation. It should be noted that strangulation is the most common method of intimate partner homicide.
  • Sexual abuse – forced sex, prostitution, ignoring religious prohibitions  re: sex, sexual insults, STDs, preventing breastfeeding
  • Economic abuse - not letting victim work or forcing them to work against their will,  controlling the finances, withholding money or credit cards, making someone unreasonably account for money spent/petrol used, exploiting assets, withholding basic necessities, deliberately running up debts, gambling
  • Emotional abuse – swearing, undermining confidence, racist remarks, eroding independence, calling victim stupid/useless.

Further information about domestic abuse

The types of behaviour associated with coercion or control may or may not constitute a criminal offence in their own right. It is important to remember that the presence of controlling or coercive behaviour does not mean that no other offence has been committed or cannot be charged. However, the perpetrator may limit space for action and exhibit a story of ownership and entitlement over the victim.

Such behaviours might include:

  • Isolating a person from their friends and family
  • depriving them of their basic needs
  • monitoring their time
  • monitoring a person via online communication tools or using spyware
  • taking control over aspects of their everyday life, such as where they can go, who they can see, what to wear and when they can sleep
  • depriving them of access to support services, such as specialist support or medical services
  • repeatedly putting them down such as telling them they are worthless
  • enforcing rules and activity which humiliate, degrade or dehumanise the victim;
  • forcing the victim to take part in criminal activity such as shoplifting, neglect or abuse of children to encourage self-blame and prevent disclosure to authorities
  • economic abuse including control of finances, such as only allowing a person a punitive allowance
  • threats to hurt or kill
  • threats to a child
  • threats to reveal or publish private information (e.g. threatening to ‘out’ someone)
  • assault
  •  criminal damage (such as destruction of household goods)
  • rape
  • preventing a person from having access to transport or from working.

This is not an exhaustive list

Home office guidance on controlling and coercive behaviour can be found in the attached guidance.

  • Demonstrates possessiveness
  • Enjoys control and power
  • Tendency to justify, deny and minimize their behaviour
  • Unrealistic expectations of partners to fulfil their needs
  • Express most feelings as anger
  • Isolate their partner from friends, family and society
  • Need to maintain an over adequate façade that all is well
  • Tends to particularly believe in traditional male/female roles
  • Alcohol Abuse Varies - 25% abuse only when drunk; 25% when drunk or sober; 25% never drink; 25% are social drinkers & not drunk when abusing
  • Socialized into Aggression
  • Lacking Self Esteem
  • Not Mentally Ill - the proportion of mentally ill battering men is no greater than the proportion of mentally ill people in the population at large

An abuser may be impulsive and quick tempered but is able to demonstrate extra ordinary control when to do so is in his best interest i.e. around people he is trying to impress, the police, co-workers, the court, etc.

 

 

cycle

 

  • Abuse –The abuse occurs
  • Guilt –The abuser will express guilt
  • Excuses –The abuser will make excuses for their behaviour
  • "Normal" behaviour — The abuser does everything they can to regain control and keep the victim in the relationship. They may act as if nothing has happened, or they may turn on the charm. This peaceful honeymoon phase may give the victim hope that the abuser has really changed this time.
  • Fantasy and planning – The abuser begins to fantasize about abusing again. They spend a lot of time thinking about what the victim has done wrong and how they will make them pay. Then they make a plan for turning the fantasy of abuse into reality.
  • Set-up – The abuser sets the victim up and puts their plan in motion, creating a situation where they can justify the abuse.

There are several civil orders are able to support the victims of domestic abuse as part of their safety plan.

Non Molestation Order

 

An order issued to prevent offender being physically violent or threatening and intimating

Occupation Order

 

 

An order issued by the court which sets out who has the right to stay, return or be excluded from a family home

Prohibited steps order (PSO)

Granted by the court in family cases which prevents either parent from carrying out certain events or making specific trips with their children without the express permission of the other parent. This is more common is cases where there is suspicion that one parent may leave the area with their child.

Restraining Order

 

Can be applied for on conviction or acquittal of any criminal offence, used primarily in cases of harassment

 

The impact of abuse

The impact of domestic abuse on victims

For a victim the physical costs of domestic abuse can be high with two women being killed each week, and 30 men being killed each year as a direct result of domestic abuse. Many victims are left with permanent scarring.

Strangulation has only recently been identified as one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence but a north west study found that 56% of people interviewed had suffered injuries related to strangulation. Serious damage from strangulation can occur after only ten seconds.

Economicly the victim may be left with debts that they have been coerced into taking out in their name as well as the costs incurred through moving and re-establishing themselves. Victims often lose their jobs because of absenteeism due to both the effects of injuries, the undermining of employment by the perpetrator and during the process of leaving the relationship, this compounds the economic burden.

£1.2bn is cost to NHS in dealing with physical injuries caused by domestic abuse and the health related costs involved in treating a victim of rape is estimated to be £73,487 per case. .

The impact of violence and abuse has been found to have psychological parallels with the impact of torture and imprisonment on hostages. Victims are 15 times more likely to abuse alcohol, nine times more likely to abuse illicit drugs, three times more likely to be diagnosed with mental health concerns and five times more likely to commit suicide.

 

Domestic violence is a complex behaviour; the aim is to control and subdue the partner. Victims are placed in a position over time where they feel isolated and fearful; there are real worries about whether the violence will increase, whether the children will be next, can I leave, where do I go, how do I get money and how will I cope. Ending any relationship is a stressful event, but where there is domestic violence, the decision to do so is extremely difficult.

This is complicated by the fact that victims describe that their self-confidence has been totally eroded both as an individual and a parent, they don’t know what to do or say to the children, the emotional effort of day to day parenting can become too exhausting to achieve and your emotional energy and focus is on the perpetrator.

Some victims are so concerned about not being able to manage a separation that they remain in the relationship, or are not able to maintain a separation as violence may continue (or they are manipulated into believing that things will be different) and so make a survival decision to remain.

It is therefore essential that no victim is made to separate from their partner without very careful assessment, planning and support leading up to and after separation. It is not the role of the health professional to provide this very specific and targeted support, the role of the health professional is to support and encourage the practitioner in accessing the most appropriate services.

 

The harm that can be caused to children living with domestic violence can be:

Physical: Direct physical or sexual abuse; being caught in the abuse of the mother; being forced to participate in the abuse and emotional control of the mother; trying to intervene to stop the mother being hurt

Emotional: Hearing abusive and threatening language directed at the mother, observing the mother being humiliated and degraded; observing the violence directly or seeing injuries to the mother after the incident and feeling powerless to do anything; hearing their mother shout, scream and plea for help; seeing the police attend; seeing their mother being taken to hospital; being used by the abusive partner to spy on the mother, or being used as pawns to control the mother – particularly when separated and there are contact concerns

Psychological and Social: Affecting their ability to form friendships and relationships as they may be withdrawn at school; frequent disruptions to life through moving home and school, sometimes at short notice; disrupting their education and their ability to gain from school; adversely affecting their attachment and relationship with either one or both parents; low self-esteem, increased levels of anxiety, anger and aggression, poor conflict resolution skills, nightmares, hyper-vigilance (e.g. not going to school so they can protect their mother), over-protectiveness and intrusive thoughts; difficulties with alcohol and substance misuse as a coping mechanism.

The impact will vary from child to child however, and will depend on a number of factors:

  • severity and nature of the violence
  • length of time he/she has been exposed to violence
  • child’s age, own strengths, resilience and capacity to self-protect
  • emotional warmth and support from the mother, siblings and other family members
  • Whether the child has regular access to and support from wider extended family, school, support services.

Unborn Children – pregnancy is a factor which is well associated with domestic violence developing or escalating. Where this is a factor, rates of miscarriage, premature birth, foetal injury and foetal death increase. The mother may be prevented from accessing ante-natal and post-natal care. There is also the danger that the mother’s attachment to the unborn child can be affected, particularly if the pregnancy is as a result of rape.

Resources

In an emergency call 999

National

Domestic abuse: how to get help - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

National Domestic Violence Helpline
24 hours – 0808 2000 247 Home | Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline (nationaldahelpline.org.uk)

Muslim Women’s Network Helpline 0800 999 5786

National Men’s advice line
0808 8010327 Website Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men | Men's Advice Line UK (mensadviceline.org.uk)

Galop national helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual victims
https://galop.org.uk/

Karma Nirvana
https://karmanirvana.org.uk/ UK Helpline: 0800 5999 247

Hourglass
https://www.wearehourglass.org/

Helpline 0808 808 8141

Text helpline 07860052906

FCO Forced Marriage Unit - a government helpline dedicated to supporting British Nationals overseas and in the UK who are affected by or at risk of a forced marriage. Call 020 7008 0151 (or 0044 20 7008 0151 if you are overseas)

NSPCC FGM Helpline
NSPCC FGM helpline - if you're worried a child is at risk of or has already had FGM, call the free, anonymous dedicated FGM helpline on 0800 028 3550 or email fgm.help@nspcc.org.uk

National Stalking Helpline
for victims of stalking, their friends, family and professionals. Call the helpline 0808 802 0300 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9.30am-4pm, Wednesday 1pm-4pm) stalking helpline enquiry form 

Southall Black Sisters
Advocacy and information for Asian and Afro-Caribbean women suffering abuse

Muslim Women’s Network Helpline
national specialist faith and culturally sensitive helpline that is confidential. Call 0800 999 5786, text 07415 206 936 or email info@mwnhelpline.co.uk

The Traveller Movement (TM)
Help for Gypsies, Roma and Traveller women call/whatsApp 0754 1637 795

Vestar specialist family support
Support for Polish victims of domestic abuse.
Vesta - Specialist Family Support CIC | About us, our history, vision (vestasfs.org) Email info@vestasfs.org call 07545075093 (Mon - Thur 9:30 -15:00)

Respect

The Respect Phoneline provides confidential advice for people who are abusive and/or violent towards their partners.

Freephone: 0808 802 4040 Free from landlines and most mobile phones.

respect.uk.net

Ask for ANI at a pharmacy #youarenotalone

If you are experiencing domestic abuse and need immediate help, ask for 'ANI' in a pharmacy that has the 'Ask for ANI' logo on display. 'ANI' stands for Action Needed Immediately but also sounds like the name Annie. They will offer you a private space, provide a phone and ask if you need support from the police or other domestic abuse support services.

Worst Kept Secret Helpline Merseyside

Freephone: 0800 028 3398 This number will not show up on your phone bill

https://www.localsolutions.org.uk/north-west-services/domestic-abuse/14-worst-kept-secret

Victim Support Merseyside

Free and confidential support for people affected by crime and traumatic events.

0151 353 4003, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

Out of hours: 0808 1689 111

www.victimsupport.org.uk/resources/merseyside

Savera UK

Honour-based abuse and harmful practice specialist.

Paul Lavelle Foundation

Support for men in domestic abusive relationships.

Support line: 0151 651 3777

General enquiries: 0151 294 4176

info@paullavellefoundation.co.uk

paullavellefoundation.co.uk/services

Knowsley

Knowsley Council Safer Communities Domestic Abuse Service:

Tel: 0151 443 2610

or email: Enquiries.safercommunities@knowsley.gov.uk 

The First Step (Specialist Independent Domestic Abuse Service):

Tel: 0151 548 3333

www.thefirststep.org.uk
 

Halton

Halton Domestic Abuse Service can be contacted 24/7 on 0300 11 11 247.

Domestic Abuse | Halton Housing

St Helens

Safe2Speak
01744 743200

Emergency accommodation for Domestic Abuse
01925 220541

safe2speak.co.uk

Warrington

Warrington Independent Domestic Violence Abuse (IDVA) service - advice, emotional and practical support for women, men and young people. Call 01925 243359

Warrington Women's Aid Refuge - safe accommodation for women and children, and support and advice to men experiencing domestic abuse. Call 01925 417138

Safe/Emergency Accommodation - The Homelessness and Housing Advice Service can assist you in finding alternative accommodation in an emergency and provide advice on housing options. They can also arrange to install extra safety measures in your current home – known` as a ‘sanctuary scheme’ if deemed safe. For further information Email housingadvice@warrington.gov.uk or call 01925 246868 (out of hours: 01925 444400)

The Domestic Abuse Money and Benefits Advice service. This service can provide advice and support on debt, mortgage and rent arrears, financial advice, assessing benefit entitlement, and housing advice call 01925 246970 or email admin@warrington.cabnet.org.uk

Cheshire CARES (Cope and Recovery Enhanced Service) - local support for victims of crime, even if you don’t want to report the crime to the police. Call 01606 366336

DV Assist – can help you to get Non-Molestation Orders, Prohibited Steps Orders and Occupation Orders. Call 0800 195 8699

Liverpool

LDAS
0151 263 7474
Freephone: 0800 084 2744
Mobile/Text for hard of hearing: 0756 201 3316
Home - Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service

Local Solutions IDVA Service
0151 709 0990
Info@localsolutions.org.uk
https://localsolutions.org.uk/

Sefton

SWACA
0151 922 8606
Home - SWACA

Sefton Independent Domestic Violence Advisors Team
0151 934 5142
IDVA.Team@sefton.gov.uk