General Article A vital link in the chain: it’s time we helped friends and family talk about abuse

Topic Selected: Domestic Abuse
This article is 8 years old. Click here to view the latest articles for this topic.

By Imogen Parker

It should be a national scandal. Just last year, one in 15 women, and one in every 33 men experienced domestic abuse in their relationship. A quarter of women and a ninth of men have had an abusive partner.

Despite the serious physical, emotional and financial harm victims can experience, it is still predominantly a hidden crime – little talked about, and little reported.

New research from Citizens Advice found only 14 per cent of victims had ever told the police, and only two per cent told a specialist domestic abuse worker. We know from our service, that many victims won’t disclose abuse unless they are proactively asked. As victims struggle to speak up and seek help, the gap between them and services there to support and protect them stretches large.

“No-one asked. No-one asked me and I just didn’t tell”

We need to make it easier for victims to seek help earlier on in an abusive relationship. Social networks surrounding victims – friends, family, colleagues and n...

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