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UK Wedding News

17/09/2014

1 In 3 Women Experience Domestic Abuse

More than one in three women in Britain have experienced domestic violence; that is according to a new survey commissioned by charity Refuge, and ITV's Loose Women.

A total of 2,244 women took part in the YouGov survey which revealed that 37% of women in Britain have experienced domestic abuse.

Domestic violence was defined as "any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse; i.e. psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional, between adults who are – or have been – intimate partners, regardless of gender or sexuality."

Some 39% of women also said they had not told anyone about the incident, with 35% admitting that if they experienced domestic violence, they would not want anybody to know they were a victim.

Of those who had not shared their experience with someone else, 43% felt it the incident wasn't serious enough to involve others, with 33% claiming it was a private matter between themselves and their partner. 14%, perhaps worryingly, thought their partner's behaviour was a normal part of being in a relationship, while 11% believed they would not be taken seriously.

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In other instances, the survey revealed that while 41% know someone who is, or was, a victim, 17% had not taken any action. A further 23% confessed they did not know how to help a victim of domestic abuse; for example, 14% didn't know who to contact, while 5% said they were too afraid of the victim's partner to intervene.

Of the women surveyed, 65% thought domestic violence occurred when someone is unable to control their anger.

Commenting on the findings, Sandra Horley CBE, Chief Executive of Refuge, said: "Victims of domestic violence often feel trapped and isolated. They may feel ashamed of what has happened to them, or they may be fearful of speaking out.

"The results from the survey confirm this – showing that 35% of women reported that they would not want anyone to know if they were experiencing domestic violence."

She added that the survey "showed that domestic violence is still shrouded in myth and misunderstanding".

"Many women believe that domestic violence is a private matter, and that it is caused when someone is unable to control their temper," she said. "Nothing could be further from the truth. Domestic violence is all about power and control. It is purposeful, systematic, patterned behaviour designed to exert control over a partner.

"The truth is that domestic violence is not a private matter. It is a huge social issue that affects the whole of our society. We all have a role to play in ending this horrific crime – and we must start by speaking out about it."

Martin Frizell, editor of Loose Women, added: "Statistics, even as worrying as ours, never give the true picture of domestic abuse because so many victims suffer in silence.

"Many of our viewers will be sitting watching our show wile living in fear of their abuser coming home in what's descended into a routine, living nightmare.

"If, by helping just one victim to find the courage to make plans and get out, then we will have done our job."

(JP/IT)

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"More than one in three women in Britain have experienced domestic violence; that is according to a new survey commissioned by charity Refuge, and ITV's Loose Women."