UK: Sharp rise in cases of domestic violence due to cost of living crisis

Uk: Sharp Rise In Cases Of Domestic Violence Due To Cost Of Living Crisis
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A Sky News study discovered that the cost of living crisis is to blame for one-third of the increase in women reporting domestic violence to charity.

Sophie Jones, a family support worker at the Cassandra Centre, told Sky News: “We’re seeing more women coming forward than ever before. Every single day we get more and more referrals. The cost of living crisis is making an already broken system even worse.”

According to a new Women’s Aid study, 96% of victims believe the cost of living problem is worsening their abuse, and 73% are afraid to leave their abusive household due to financial concerns. Those who do escape face an uphill fight to obtain shelter, since most refuges are already filled.

Rosie Duffield, a Labour MP, was a victim of domestic violence. In 2019, she testified before the House of Commons.

She said: “It’s been three years since I did that and every single day I’ve had women getting in touch asking for help. Last night a lady emailed me.

“The cost of living is having a big effect. There are all these factors like extra stress, job insecurity, all of those things make life more scary for an abuse victim. You walk through the door, and you don’t know what you’re going to get.”

Despite an increase in women reporting domestic violence, the most recent crime figures reveal that prosecutions for domestic abuse have decreased by 6%.

According to Sky News’ investigative journalism, several victims have never received justice. One young mother informed them that despite being detained 26 times, her spouse was never punished.

Domestic violence has steadily become an incurable disease in the UK.

According to the 2019 to 2020 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), 2.3 million adults in England and Wales aged 16 to 74 experienced domestic violence in the previous year. Of all crimes recorded by the police in the year ending March 2021, 18% were domestic abuse-related.

It’s important to remember that these data do not account for crucial context and effect details, such as whether the violence caused fear, who the repeat victims were, and who experienced violence in a setting of power and control. The gendered aspect of domestic violence becomes much clearer when these factors are taken into consideration.

We must also keep in mind that emotional abuse, which can be committed in a variety of ways and to varying degrees of subtlety, may go completely unnoticed, especially when the focus is on crimes. Repeated and escalating abuse that occurs in a context of fear and intimidation does not easily show up in an incident-based form of statistical record.

Domestic violence have destroyed the lives of far too many people. It has a terrible impact on children. Their development, and well being can be negatively impacted by growing up in a fearful and intimidating environment, with consequences that endure far into adulthood. Therefore, it’s high time that we as a society look within and aim to create a culture that actively enables victims, and communities to oppose domestic violence and to give victims of domestic violence the help they need.

Also Read: A Domestic Violence Survivor’s Journey

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