The Office for National Statistics (‘ONS’) has published its latest statistical release for domestic abuse prevalence and trends in England and Wales, for the year ending March 2019. And the figures make for harrowing reading.
Appropriately, the release was published on International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women, although we should emphasise that men are also victims of domestic abuse.
Amongst the main points in the release were the following:
• That according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2019, an estimated 2.4 million people experienced domestic abuse in the last year. That equates to nearly 6% of all adults.
• That the police recorded a total of 1,316,800 domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes in the year ending March 2019, an increase of 118,706 from the previous year.
• That of these, 746,219 were recorded as domestic abuse-related crimes, an increase of 24% from the previous year.
The Crime Survey figure is not actually significantly different to the previous year, but still it demonstrates the shocking scale of the problem of domestic abuse. Clearly, we must all redouble our efforts to address the problem.
The police figures do show a significant increase, although this may be in part driven by general police improvements in offence-recording practices, as well as an increase in domestic abuse-related incidents coming to the attention of the police. The increase could also indicate an increased willingness of victims to come forward to report domestic abuse.
You can find the ONS statistical release here.
For further information about how you can protect yourself from domestic abuse, see this post. If you would like to know more about protecting yourself from domestic violence and abuse, or if you would like to apply for a court order, Family Law Café can help. To book a free initial consultation with us click the green button at the top of this page and fill in the form, or call us on 020 3904 0506.
- * * *
Family Law Cafe’s accessible team of legal experts from various disciplines expedites the customer’s case and keeps them informed and in control 24/7 through a unique and secure online portal.
Photo by Sydney Sims on Unsplash