In 12 months to the end of March 2017, there were 1.9 million adults in England and Wales, between 16 and 59 years old who reported domestic abuse.
The Office of National Statistics tells us that this equates to 1.2 million survivors being female and 0.7 million survivors are male.
Even though domestic abuse occurs in all genders, there is still a disproportionate number who are female and the Government recognises that the most severe forms of domestic abuse is perpetrated against females.
In June 2017, the UK Government announced that it was going to introduce a Domestic Abuse Bill for England and Wales.
The Government went on to launch a consultation called “Transforming the response to domestic abuse” which was held between March and May 2018. During this consultation, professionals and survivors were asked to complete a questionnaire, intended to assist with interventions being enforced to prevent and tackle domestic abuse.
Following this, The Equality and Human Rights Commission submitted a report to the United Nations on the 23rd July 2018, detailing how women are still being “failed” by society and professionals, in most areas of their lives.
The report describes the concerns of the current level of support provision for survivors of domestic abuse and recommends that there be an increase in these provisions, as well as higher prosecution and conviction rates for violent offences against women and girls.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), previously known as HMIC, document in their report called “Increasingly everyone’s business”, that the police receive on average 100 calls about domestic abuse every hour. However surprisingly, the Office of National Statistics estimated that 79% of survivors (four out of five) did not report the abuse they had suffered from their partner to the police, in the year ending March 2016.
Therefore, these figures are clearly indicative of the epidemic growth of domestic abuse nationally. They also indicate that survivors, may be seeking alternative options to gain protection for their ultimate safety.
At Ramsdens, we welcome these recommendations aiming to provide more protection to Women and Girls who are the survivors of domestic abuse; gaining access to protective court orders preventing further harm from abuse.
If you have suffered domestic abuse and require advice, we can help. We can assist you to obtain a Non-Molestation Order, quickly and without the perpetrator being aware. Therefore, allowing you to successfully gain the protection these court orders provide, including having a power of arrest.
Contact our Family Team on 0800 014 7720, email family@ramsdens.co.uk or text LAW to 67777 to arrange a free appointment in any of our offices across Yorkshire.
In an emergency, always call 999 and remember you can contact Women’s Aid for 24 hours support on 0808 200 0247.