7 IN FOCUS
Top Tips for responding well to Domestic Abuse
T
he 25th of November each year marks the start of the global awareness campaign 16 days of Action Against Domestic Violence.
that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
Started in 1991 by the Women’s Global Leadership Institute, the campaign seeks to support people and organisations to take action against domestic abuse and violence. Domestic abuse remains a serious public health concern and is widespread in all communities including churches, with the potential to destroy relationships, families and endanger lives. It includes any act of gender-based violence
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To mark the campaign, we’ve put together our seven top tips on how churches and faith-based organisations can take action this November. If we want to see our culture having a positive effect on those we work with or minister to, we must start with ourselves; our attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Sometimes this means we will need to be the change we want to see around us and help others to see what we see.
Know the facts Although domestic violence is chronically under-reported, one incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute and research estimates that it: • Accounts for 14% of all violent crime. • At least 1 in 5 women and 1 in 6 men in the UK will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. • I n one year, it is thought that 1.4 million women and 600,000 men experience domestic abuse in England and Wales alone.
• 1 in 7 children and young people under 18 will have experienced living with domestic abuse. • O nly 2 in 7 church goers consider their church to be adequately equipped to deal with a disclosure of domestic abuse.
These are just some of the facts and statistics, but they show that domestic abuse is not something churches or faith organisations can ignore. 24
