top of page

The scale of the problem

  • 1 in 5 of ALL crimes reported to police in the UK are domestic abuse related

  • The police receive over 1 report relating to domestic abuse every minute​

  • 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are abused by a partner in their lifetime​

  • 1 in 6 cases of homelessness are the direct result of abuse

  • 93% of defendants in domestic abuse cases are male; 84% of victims are female

The risk to life

  •   Up to 5 women every week murdered by their abusive partner or ex partner 

  •   Coercive control has a much higher correlation with intimate partner homicide than physical violence does.​

  •  62 children per year are murdered through abuse or neglect per year in the UK

  • Suicides directly caused by abuse are not yet counted among the abuse related deaths in UK statistics. It's estimated that the current figures would double if they were.

Children

  • 20% of UK children are exposed to or directly affected by abuse​

  • 7 children per classroom experience abuse before they turn 18​

  • 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused​

  • Around 30% of domestic abuse begins during pregnancy

Mental Health

  • 73% of abuse survivors are known to suffer with depression or anxiety​

  • The average time on the waiting list for NHS mental health support is 21 months​

  • Trauma from abuse causes debilitating and life altering symptoms

Lack of resources

  • 4800 women are turned away from refuges every year due to lack of funding

  • Over 17 refuges have been forced to close since 2011 due to lack of funding​

  • The average case load for a social worker or police officer working with vulnerable people is up to 32 at any one time

NEWS ABUSE HEADER_edited.jpg

Abuse in the UK

Our holistic, analytical, cross sector approach, and why it is so needed.

Through our conference, and our collaborative work with coalition members, expert organisations and professionals, Clear Path UK has gained a wider understanding of the patterns and issues surrounding abuse prevention, justice, and healing in the UK.

​​

​

We have collated some statistics here for you.

As you will see, the scale and impact of abuse in the UK only becomes apparent when we step back and take a holistic approach to UK wide strategy.

With prevention, action, trust, and healing at the core of everything we do, we aim to revolutionise the way abuse is tackled in the UK and engineer a progressive, achievable and sustainable system.

"Each specialist sector and organisation is doing a fantastic job, but it's like many thumbs in a leaky dam. At Clear Path UK, we are building a blueprint, not only for a new dam, but for an expedition to see where the flood is coming from."

​

Claire Louise Chamberlain - Founder, CPUK

Obstacles to justice

  • HMICFRS reports that application of codes of practice, legislation, training and knowledge of updated laws varies wildly between police forces​

  • They say that this has resulted in a postcode lottery of support and justice​

  • Police say that they are unable to prosecute in many cases due to unacceptable CPS thresholds​

  • Of the 194,683 sexual offences reported last year, just 4,466 rape cases were referred to the CPS​

  • Police recorded 889,918 domestic abuse-related crimes last year. Just 67,790 cases were referred to the CPS

Need for education

  • Over 70% of abuse victims don’t realise that their perpetrators behaviour was classed as abuse until it was pointed out to them by professionals, most, after they’d escaped.​

  • Many professionals hold victim blaming beliefs, restricting their ability to provide support and justice​

  • Research shows that children need to learn about harm and abuse and how to ask for help from an early stage in primary schools

Reporting abuse

  • Police advise victims not to access 121 mental health  support until after the trial due to accusations of “coaching testimonies”​

  • Abuse related police investigations often take up to 3 years to complete​

  • Victims of physical abuse within their relationship only have 6 months to report after an incident. After 6 months have passed the police legally can’t press charges

  • Victims surveyed said that the investigation process was even more traumatising than the abuse itself

  • Unconscious bias in control room operatives, and investigating officers can cause victim blaming narratives to form. This causes victims to pull out of investigations in up to 66% of cases

  • Dramatic increases in CPS evidence thresholds have caused officers to feel they have to become "judge & jury", before even contemplating putting a case in front of decision makers.

Inadequate training

  • Less than 44% of “right to ask” applications under Clare's law end in disclosure of information due to lack of training in police control centres​

  • Social workers and other professionals lack the skills they need to identify perpetrators and support disclosure by children, due to low confidence and a lack of adequate training​

  • Health professionals are prevented from screening women for domestic abuse due to a lack of training and education

Above statistics sourced from:

ONS, NSPCC annual report, Refuge annual report, Victim Support annual report, HMICFRS investigation report, Womens Aid annual report, SHERA family research, Paramily and Victim Focus research studies 2019-2023

While we are tackling these issues one at a time, well only ever be seeing small scale positive change. Join us in campaigning for proactive, preventative, systemic change.

bottom of page