Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is well-recognised as a public health issue that affects at least one million people in the UK. It is estimated that one in four women, and one in five men, experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Obtaining accurate prevalence figures is hampered by numerous barriers: domestic abuse occurs within relationships, often hidden from view, where emotions are highly entwined. The typically ‘private’ nature of such abuse contributes to the culture of silence that can surround the issue while heightening a victim’s reluctance to report their experiences. For these reasons, it is a crime that is largely under-reported.
There is no statutory definition of domestic abuse or domestic violence in the UK. But a gender-neutral definition of domestic violence as: ‘any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality’.
