Devon for Everyone
Domestic Violence and Abuse
Domestic Violence and Abuse is the misuse of power and control by one person over another within the context of any close relationship, past and present. This abuse may come in a variety of guises including physical violence, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual violence and abuse, financial control and abuse and the enforced of social isolation or restrictions on freedom of movement.
No matter what form it actually takes, domestic violence and abuse is hardly ever an isolated occurrence. It is often a pattern of abusive and controlling behaviour by which the perpetrator seeks power over their victim.
Domestic violence occurs in all parts of our society, regardless of hold old you are, what gender or race you are, what sexuality or wealth you have or what part of the country you live in.
Victims of domestic violence and abuse suffer in many ways – physically, mentally, and financially. They often have insecure accommodation and are fear for their or their children’s lives. They have lost the freedom to live how they want, without fear.
Facts & figures
Although domestic violence is chronically under reported, research estimates it:
- accounts for 16% of all violent crime
- will affect 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men in their lifetime
- 77% of victims of domestic violence are women
- has more repeat victims than any other crime (on average there will have been 35 assaults before a victim calls the police)
- on average, two women are killed every week by a current or former male partner
- one incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute (Source: Crime in England and Wales 2006/07 report)
- 8,925 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to the Police in Devon in 2007-8
- 50% of incidents reported children were present
- 27% increase in reported incidents to the police over 3 years
What we are doing
Devon has a co-ordinated response to increase safety through earlier reporting and earlier intervention to:
- support victims and survivors
- support children in the community and in refuges
- support specialist work with children and young women
- support male perpetrators seeking help to change their behaviour
- risk assess and safety plan for very high risk victims
- operate specialist courts to improve support to victims
- support survivors reference group – SEEDS Devon
- support sexual abuse line
- provide specialist health / domestic abuse intervention pilot
- run comprehensive multi-agency training programme
- raise public and professional awareness
- run Employer Policy Campaigns within the public sector
- support confidence building group work programmes for women survivors
Details of training programme.
Details of DCC’s Domestic Violence and Abuse Employer policy.
In 2007-8:
- 600 very high risk victims protected
- 2,200 women in the community supported through specialist Women’s Aid sector
- 1600 agency workers trained
More information on Domestic Violence and Abuse.
