The most common abuse among women 

is domestic violence.  

 Domestic violence is when a partner usually the female dominate, or physically attacks his female partner. These brutal actions can occur within all cultures and races. Domestic violence can also be emotional and mental abuse. This act of violence can lead to serious physical  trauma, during pregnancy, rape, or even murder. Domestic violence can also lead to violence upon children.

Domestic Violence that is reported accounts for one quarter of all violent crimes. - Home Office 2004

An incident that is domestic violence related is reported to the police every single minute. - Stanko 2000

• 45% of woman have expirience at least one kind of phsycical abuse by a partner in their life. - Walby and Allen 2004.   
• 26% of men have expirienced at least one kind of p abuse by a partner in their life. - Walby and Allen 2004 When it comes to domestic or sexual abuse 89% of the victims were women. -Walby and Allen.
• 2004 Women are more likely to be victime of mulitiple incidents of abuse and of sexual violence. - Walby and Allen 2004.
• Women are more likely than men to have expirenced all types of , 'intimate violence, this is such as partner abuse, family abuse, sexual assualt and stalking- Coleman et al.,
• In the UK , 54 % of rapes comitted against women are bythe womans current or former partner. - Walby and Allen 2004 On average, 2 women a week are killed by a current boyfriend or ex boyfriend. - 2004, 2005, Home Office, 1999; Department of Health, 2005.
•  1 in 4 women have experienced domestic violence in their life. - Council of Europe, 2002 Internationally domestic violence is acknowledged to be one of the health in equalities that affect women. - World Health Organistaion, 1997 United Nations.

In the last 12 months a partner being stalked was the most common action taken against women. - Home Office statistics

• 9% of women experienced being stalked and 7% of men experienced stalking and serious sexual assault. - Home Office statistics

Domestic violece means abuse between two adults in a relationship

Domestic violence accounts for 16% of all violent crime. 77% of victims of domestic violence are women. On average, there will have been 35 assaults before a victim calls the police. According to statistics, two women a week are killed because of domestic violence. A domestic violence incident is reported to the police every minute. Source: Crime in England and Wales 2006/07 report.

The Home office has invested £14 million on trying to resolve the issue and have developed a Domestic Violence National Action Plan. New laws have been set up to protect victims of domestic violence.

The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 was introduced to increase the protection, support and rights of victims and their witnesses. This ensures protection for domestic victims in the UK. The following organizations have call centers: 

- English National Domestic Violence helpline: 0808 2000 247

- Northern Ireland Women's Aid 24 Hour Domestic Violence Helpline: 028 9033 1818

- Scottish Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0800 027 1234

- Wales Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 80 10 800 www.wdah.org

The Dyn Wales/Dyn Cymru Helpline 0808 801 0321  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          SIGNS OF ABUSE:

Pressure tactics - sulking, threatening to keep money away from you, disconnecting the telephone line, taking the car away, threatening to commit suicide, taking the children away from you, reporting you to welfare agencies on you are bringing up the children, lying to your friends and family about you, telling you that you have no choice in any decisions being made.  

Disrespect - Constantly putting you down in front of people, not listening to you when you talk, interrupting when you are on the phone, stealing money from your wallet.

Breaking Trust - Lying and withholding information from you.

Isolation - Spying on phonecalls, blocking phonecalls, stating where you can go and where you can't, preventing you from seeing your friends and relatives.  

Harassment - Following where you go, spying, checking up on you, opening your mail, checking phone register, embarrassing you in public.  

Threats - Being verbally aggressive by shouting at you, threatening you with a gun or a knife, destroying your personal belongings, breaking things, punching walls, using kids as a threat to you by threatening them.   

Sexual violence - Making you perform sex acts, forcing sex on you, any degrading treatment done sexually. 

Physical violence - punching, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, pulling hair out, pushing, shoving, burning, strangling.  

Denial - Denying it ever took place, blaming you for this behaviour towards you, begging for forgiveness, saying it will never happen again.