Domestic abuse numbers reach record high as more victims than ever seek help

24 January 2024 , 14:14

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A staggering 100,318 abuse victims sought injunctions in 2023 (Image: Getty)

The number of women seeking help to escape their abusers is on the rise, with more victims than ever turning to the National Centre for Domestic Abuse and Violence. A horrifying 100,318 victims of domestic abuse were referred to the organisation, which provides free emergency injunctions for abuse survivors, in 2023. This is up from 95,905 seeking protective orders against their abuser in 2022, and these numbers have risen more than fourfold in 10 years jumping from 23,841 in 2013. Domestic abuse affects men too, but 89.7 % of these referrals were related to female victims.

The NCDV receives around 60% of referrals from police and 40% from domestic abuse organisations and other services. "It is terrifying to consider that this may mean 100,318 people sitting at home waiting for the key to turn in the lock,” said Sharon Bryan, Head of Partnerships at the NCDV. "Not knowing what the evening holds for them, let alone the future. 100,318 people walking on eggshells. 100,318 people who need protection from their abuser. All of these people are in potentially life threatening situations, and this number is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Sharon, a survivor of domestic abuse herself, began working in the sector 26 years ago. With more than 80% of victims not reporting their abuse, the real scale of domestic abuse nationwide could be much bigger she said. "We are just one organisation....When you take into consideration the refuges, the outreach services, the number is massive as they’ve got all their referrals coming in as well, and yet 80% of incidents don’t get reported to anybody, ” she said.

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Sharon Bryan from the DCDV says the numbers are "terrifying to consider"

Sharon’s first husband subjected her to a campaign of coercive control and abuse and was jailed in 1989 after he stabbed her through the hand. Since then the treatment of domestic violence victims has gotten worse, not better she said. "When I hear and when I speak to women about their experiences of the justice system and their experiences of the police sometimes, I didn’t have that experience. He was sentenced to six and a half years. I know of cases now that actually the level of violence has been worse than I experienced, and the sentence has been months or even they just got community service.”

Sharon thinks the rise in figures is down to more awareness of domestic abuse, but also due to an increase of the prevalence of technology and social media which has made it harder for victims to escape from perpetrators. "When I worked in a refuge, all we had to warn women about was not to use hole-in-the-wall cash dispensers,” said Sharon. "We used to sort of say, you know, you’ve got to change your bank and tell your bank you’re not living there anymore, because if you take money out of a cash dispenser in this area it will show up on bank statements to your house.

"Now I have to tell women to turn off their locations on their phone because that’s how you can get tracked and to come off Facebook. At the end of the day, why do they need to do that? But we have to jump through the hoops. In my view, social media has made it so much worse for women and so much easier for them to be tracked down.”