essay on domestic violence uk

Blame the victim? Domestic violence as covered in The Sun and The Guardian

Senior Lecturer, School of Education, University of Hertfordshire

Professor, Mental Health Research, University of Hertfordshire

Disclosure statement

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

View all partners

Domestic violence is an enduring problem in the UK: an average of two women a week continue to be killed by their current or former partner. It’s a widespread and important story, and – like all news media – newspapers make a decision about how to report this issue.

But, unlike television and radio broadcasting, the print media in the UK is not required to be impartial. And although newspaper content is not necessarily absorbed uncritically by readers, the way editors and journalists frame news stories can influence the “take home” message communicated to readers.

We explored how The Sun and The Guardian reported domestic violence in 2001-2 and 2011-12 to evaluate evidence of change over a ten-year time span. The rationale for selecting these newspapers was based on their contrasting formats: The Sun is the biggest-selling newspaper in the UK, tabloid in style and traditionally right-of-centre politically, while The Guardian is a left-of-centre broadsheet with a far smaller circulation but a far larger online readership.

We studied both online and hard copy articles of the two papers: these included analyses of victims (predominantly women) and perpetrators (predominantly men). While The Guardian adopted a respectful position towards women victims, the textual and visual techniques adopted by The Sun reveal a tendency for victim blaming and, in some cases, giving character references for the perpetrators.

The stimulus for investigating newspaper reporting of domestic violence was a European Union funded project led by the University of Hertfordshire with partners in Greece, Italy, Poland and Slovenia, which researched the well-being of women experiencing both domestic violence and mental health issues.

The expressed guilt of the women participants made us consider what leads victims of this type of violence to accept guilt, blame and shame instead of holding perpetrators accountable. Given the influential role played by the media in both shaping and reflecting public opinion on issues such as domestic violence, this second project examining newspaper coverage of such violence was undertaken.

Laying the blame

The most commonly identified theme derived from our newspaper research was how The Sun appears to hold women responsible for their own abuse. Replete with descriptions of men who have killed their partners as “spurned lover”, “jilted lover” and “jealousy-crazed”, The Sun seems to be insinuating that the woman is culpable, partially at least, for her victimisation.

A key case in point was a story reported from the island of Jersey where a man called Damian Rzeszowski killed his wife, Izabela, two children and his father-in-law as well as a family friend and her daughter. The Sun described how he “slaughtered six people at a family barbecue after he flipped over his wife’s affair”. This gave the impression that it was the woman’s alleged infidelity that triggered the bloodshed. The Sun describes Rzeszowski as a “doting dad” and Izabela as “cheating on him”, again denoting her as a blameworthy victim.

Similarly, when a father, Jean-Francis Say, fatally stabbed his two children , The Sun observed that his wife had left him for another man two years earlier, taking the children with her.

A neighbour was quoted saying that Say had told her he was always the one who did things for the children while “all his wife did was sleep and go to work”. The use of this quote appears to disparage a woman whose children have been killed.

When women kill

This contrasts with the description of “evil” Tracie Andrews, convicted of killing her boyfriend and subsequently in preparation for release from prison. Entitled “Evil Andrews serves up cuppas in a church cafe”, The Sun article juxtaposes her evilness with the sanctity of a church café and having a “cuppa”. Compare “evil”, redolent of internal, innate characteristics, with the descriptions of men who “snapped” or “flipped” and whose actions were “out of character”, thus suggestive of external, qualifying triggers.

The Guardian does not tend to engage in a victim-blaming narrative, which is a key issue when trying to understand the reporting of domestic violence which ends in the death of one of the partners. Sandra Horley, the chief executive of Refuge – who has been a prominent advocate on this issue – states that domestic violence cases are not about one partner “losing [their] temper” or “flipping out”, they are about systematic control and abuse.

• Domestic violence

When it comes to covering domestic violence as an issue, we found that The Guardian had consistently outnumbered The Sun in relation to the amount of articles published over the whole of our survey period.

A closer inspection also revealed that The Guardian’s coverage had far more in-depth analysis of domestic violence overall, while The Sun tended to report on individual cases in a sensational manner.

Domestic violence in the news is seldom framed as a societal public health issue – but rather an individualised problem or somehow precipitated by victims. Our research, book-ended by the years 2001-2 and 2011-12, found that the ten-year passage of time has diminished neither the medium nor the message of The Sun in terms of blaming victims, and reinforcing society’s normalisation of privatised violence as “just another domestic”.

To see a YouTube video about the article based on this research please click here .

• The Guardian
• Domestic abuse
• UK newspapers

Biocloud Project Manager - Australian Biocommons

Director, Defence and Security

Opportunities with the new CIEHF

School of Social Sciences – Public Policy and International Relations opportunities

Deputy Editor - Technology

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Patriarchy and power: how socialisation underpins abusive behaviour

Men don’t abuse women because society tells them it’s OK. They do it because society tells them they are entitled to be in control

I nvestigative journalist Jess Hill interviewed dozens of abused women, domestic abuse sector workers, male perpetrators, children’s advocates and system experts over five years in order to write her award-winning book, See What You Made Me Do. Here she answers some questions about issues arising from the murders in Brisbane of Hannah Clarke and her three children Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4 and Trey, 3.

Hannah Clarke’s family described her husband Rowan Baxter as controlling, coercive and obsessive. His abuse appears to have followed a familiar script known as coercive control. Can you explain this?

Coercive control is a very particular kind of domestic abuse. It’s not a “reaction” to stress, nor is it triggered by alcohol or drugs. It’s an ongoing system of control, in which the abusive partner seeks to override their partner’s autonomy and destroy their sense of self. The end game – whether the perpetrator knowingly sets out to achieve it – is to make their partner entirely subordinate; a “willing slave”. To do this, they isolate, micro-manage, humiliate, degrade, surveil, gaslight and create an environment of confusion, contradiction and extreme threat. The feeling victims have, as the British survivor-advocate Min Grob tweeted the other day, is that the rug has been pulled from under your feet. “You become disoriented, hyper vigilant, confused and most likely sleep-deprived. You are walking on eggshells. Afraid you’re going mad. Afraid to make them mad. Afraid. All the time. Sometimes not even knowing why you’re in fear but the panic is there. Always.” This abuse can also be incredibly hard for the victim to detect, because it happens slowly, bit by bit. It’s the total mental dislocation of coercive control – which Amnesty International has classified as torture – that is the hardest thing to recover from.

Coercive controllers may use extreme physical or sexual violence; or, as was reportedly the case with Rowan Baxter, no physical violence at all. For more than 40 years, women and children have been saying that except for extreme violence, the coercive control is the worst part. In fact, one of the most common refrains from victims of coercive control is “I wish he’d just hit me”.

If domestic abuse cases almost always follow the same script, as you write in your book, why is it so hard to stop them?

So many reasons, but in cases of coercive control, I think it boils down to this. Many women don’t know they are experiencing abuse until they are already in situations that are incredibly dangerous – partly because coercive control is so poorly understood, but also because the perpetrator makes it invisible. By the time victims realise the danger they’re in, many believe no system will ever be powerful enough to keep them safe. If they do report to police – if something reportable actually occurs – they are making a terrifying gamble. Will they get an officer who’s sympathetic and proactive? Will reporting their partner make him more dangerous? What if child protection gets involved? What if he contests for custody? There are absolutely no guarantees that they (or their children) will be protected. Their suspicion that the system is not powerful enough to protect them is too often correct. The justice system is not only full of holes; too often it actively colludes with the perpetrator (especially the family law system). So they stay, even after they want to leave, and know it’s dangerous. They stay because it may be even more dangerous to leave. Until the justice system properly assesses and responds to risk, and as long as women are made to be responsible for their own safety, we will continue to see an intractable domestic homicide rate.

How do some men come to feel so entitled to their power over women?

Thousands of years of patriarchy has laid pretty good groundwork for this – and it’s not so long since a wife was considered her husband’s property, and had no legal rights whatsoever. It was only in the 1980s that new laws against marital rape recognised that men didn’t have the right to demand sex with their wives anytime they wanted; prior to that, consent was considered to have been given on the wedding day and never revoked. Today, we still live in a society that entrenches women’s subordination at every level – from the home, to the boardroom, to our parliament. Even in the courtroom, as we see so often. As the Harvard psychiatrist Judith Herman writes: “The legal system is designed to protect men from the superior power of the state but not to protect women or children from the superior power of men.” I’m sure any survivor reading this will know exactly what she’s talking about.

Men don’t abuse women because society tells them it’s OK. Men abuse women because society tells them they are entitled to be in control. In fact, society says that if they are not in control, they won’t succeed – they won’t get the girl, they won’t get the money, and they will be vulnerable to the violence and control of other men. It says that if they fail to assert themselves like “real men”, they will end up poor and alone.

But we don’t just see men being entitled to power over their partners; some women identify with this, too. That’s because “having power over” is valued within patriarchy – much more for men than it is for women – but nevertheless, it is regarded generally as a sign of strength to claim power over others. To add more complication, in many perpetrators who have had trauma or attachment disruption in their childhoods, you get another layer of entitlement: as one perpetrator told me “I never had any control over anything as a child, and I vowed that I would never let that happen to me again. I would always be in control.”

Trauma-based entitlement is very common in people who are abusive – the notion that “I had to go through so much, so fuck you, you just have to deal with whatever I do to you.” When that entitlement is thwarted, there is this notion of being defied, of being humiliated – of being shamed. This is what has been called “humiliated fury” – when insecurity, toxic shame and entitlement combine. That is a very dangerous emotional state.

Do behaviour change programs for men work?

Opinions – and studies - on this are mixed. Here in Australia, group therapeutic programs generally run for a few months, once a week. A recent study by Monash University found that 65% of men report that they are “violence free” or almost violence free two years after the program ended; that is a very encouraging result. There are a couple of residential therapeutic programs, like Breathing Space in Western Australia and Room4Change in Canberra, that I think are also really promising – they give men a place to live, so women and children don’t have to leave, and they follow up intensive individual and group work with months of ongoing outreach support. Indigenous men’s programs throughout the country are also some of the best I’ve seen, in terms of reconnecting men to what is meaningful.

But the model I keep coming back to is one that actually takes seriously the deep work that is required to shift men out of long-habituated behaviour. It’s a Scottish program called the Caledonian model, and it runs for two years. It combines two approaches to offending that are typically at odds with each other – the psychopathology model, which looks at what drives a specific person to abuse, and the feminist model, which looks at how men are socialised under patriarchy, and how gender inequality underpins their abusive behaviour.

To do this it gives abusers six months of one-on-one counselling to begin with, and puts them in touch with specialists who can deal with any other presenting issues: addiction, mental illness, childhood trauma, etc. After that they go into a group program with other men, where they confront issues around gendered expectations, socialisation, what actually constitutes abuse and so on. Then they go back into one-on-one counselling. Throughout that time, caseworkers are also working directly with their partners or ex-partners, and their children. It’s a fantastic model.

How can you help a friend if you think they are being coercively controlled?

When you first hear those red flags – isolation, micro-management, rule-setting, financial control – you need to respond carefully. Listen without judgement. Criticise their partner’s behaviour, but don’t condemn their partner – that may only make them defensive. Comment on the changes you’ve notice in them personally, and why you’re worried about it. Most importantly, don’t give up. The perpetrator wants their partner to be isolated – don’t enable them. Stay in contact, if you can. Remember always that your friend is the expert in their own experience, and they don’t need you to take over. Let them know that if they are thinking of leaving, they should get in touch with a domestic violence caseworker, so they can develop a safety plan. Lastly, don’t make your friendship conditional on your friend leaving – they may take months or years to leave, or they may never leave. Just let them know you will be there for them, no matter what.

The federal government says it is open to new ideas for reducing violence. Can you suggest any?

We need practical action, at the coalface, that encourages – and supports – women to seek help, keeps them and their children safe, and removes the loopholes of impunity for perpetrators.

If the government wants new ideas, here are some bold new strategies – proven to reduce domestic abuse here and internationally – that we should be seriously considering.

First, the introduction of police stations for women, which are solely dedicated to policing family violence (and provide a one-stop shop for women and children, including therapeutic, legal and financial help), have been proven to reduce domestic homicide in countries across South America, and crucially, they get women reporting earlier. Greens co-deputy Larissa Waters is calling for a trial of these women’s police stations.

Second we should look very seriously at criminalising coercive control, as has been promised by the Queensland opposition leader, Deb Frecklington, and urged by New South Wales MP Anna Watson. Criminalising coercive control is not just about locking people up. It’s about changing the paradigm on domestic abuse and requiring police to investigate and report on the entire arc of a relationship, instead of isolated incidents. Globally speaking, Scotland is seen as the world leader, as all of the harms of domestic abuse are included under the one charge.

Third, I’m also a big advocate of localised strategies, like focused deterrence and justice reinvestment, that develop close and constant collaboration between the community sector – domestic abuse, substance abuse, homelessness and so on – and the justice system. These strategies break down silos between sector groups that often work at odds with each other, they close loopholes in the justice system, and they deliver a strong message to perpetrators that unless they accept the help that is on offer, and make the rational choice to stop their offending, they will feel the full force of the law.

Last, fix the family law system. The Australian Law Reform Commission has delivered a set of reforms that will make children safe. Implement them.

What could we do today - right now - to urgently improve this situation and prevent more murders like this?

The good news is we know that change is possible.

Here are some critical changes the federal parliament could introduce now. To begin with, straightaway announce enough secure funding for the women’s refuge sector to ensure no woman or child is denied vital protection. Allocate proper funding for affordable and transitional housing so they can move into homes they can afford. Reverse funding cuts to community legal aid – we just saw $130,000 in funding removed from Victoria Legal Aid, which has cancelled the Court Network of volunteers who help family violence victims at the family law courts; community legal aid is already woefully underfunded. There is so much good work already being done – if the federal government truly cared about women and children’s safety, they’d stop making the women’s sector beg and scrape for basic funding.

In Australia, if you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au . In the UK, visit the National Domestic Abuse Helpline website here or call 0808 2000 247 . In the US visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website here , or call 1-800-799-7233 .

• Domestic violence

Most viewed

153 Domestic Violence Topics & Essay Examples

A domestic violence essay can deal with society, gender, family, and youth. To help you decide which aspect to research, our team provided this list of 153 topics .

📑 Aspects to Cover in a Domestic Violence Essay

🏆 best domestic violence titles & essay examples, ⭐ interesting domestic violence topics for an essay, 🎓 good research topics about domestic violence, ❓ research questions on domestic violence.

Domestic violence is a significant problem and one of the acute topics of today’s society. It affects people of all genders and sexualities.

Domestic violence involves many types of abuse, including sexual and emotional one. Essays on domestic violence can enhance students’ awareness of the issue and its causes. Our tips will be useful for those wanting to write outstanding domestic violence essays.

Start with choosing a topic for your paper. Here are some examples of domestic violence essay titles:

• Causes of domestic violence and the ways to eliminate them
• The consequences of domestic violence
• The importance of public domestic violence speech
• Ways to reduce domestic violence
• The prevalence of domestic violence in the United States (or other countries)
• The link between domestic violence and mental health problems among children

Now that you have selected one of the titles for your essay, you can start working on the paper. We have prepared some tips on the aspects you should cover in your work:

• Start with researching the issue you have selected. Analyze its causes, consequences, and effects. Remember that you should include some of the findings in the paper using in-text citations.
• Develop a domestic violence essay outline. The structure of your paper will depend on the problem you have selected. In general, there should be an introductory and a concluding paragraph, as well as three (or more) body paragraphs. Hint: Keep in mind the purpose of your essay while developing its structure.
• Present your domestic violence essay thesis clearly. The last sentence of your introductory paragraph should be the thesis statement. Here are some examples of a thesis statement:

Domestic violence has a crucial impact on children’s mental health. / Domestic violence affects women more than men.

• Present a definition of domestic violence. What actions does the term involve? Include several possible perspectives on domestic violence.
• Discuss the victims of domestic violence and the impact it has on them too. Provide statistical data, if possible.
• Help your audience to understand the issue better by discussing the consequences of domestic violence, even if it is not the primary purpose of your paper. The essay should show why it is necessary to eliminate this problem.
• You can include some relevant quotes on domestic violence to make your arguments more persuasive. Remember to use citations from relevant sources only. Such sources include peer-reviewed articles and scholarly publications. If you are not sure whether you can use a piece of literature, consult your professor to avoid possible mistakes.
• Support your claims with evidence. Ask your professor in advance about the sources you can use in your paper. Avoid utilizing Wikipedia, as this website is not reliable.
• Stick to a formal language. Although you may want to criticize domestic violence, do not use offensive terms. Your paper should look professional.
• Pay attention to the type of paper you should write. If it is an argumentative essay, discuss opposing views on domestic violence and prove that they are unreliable.
• Remember that you should include a domestic violence essay conclusion in your paper too. This section of the paper should present your main ideas and findings. Remember not to present any new information or citations in the concluding paragraph.

There are some free samples we have prepared for you, too. Check them out!

• Domestic Violence and Conflict Theory in Society The Conflict Theory explains remarkable events in history and the changing patterns of race and gender relations and also emphasizes the struggles to explain the impact of technological development on society and the changes to […]
• Domestic Violence against Women Domestic violence against women refers to “any act of gender-based violence that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, and mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts as […]
• Break the Silence: Domestic Violence Case The campaign in question aimed to instruct victims of domestic violence on how to cope with the problem and where to address to get assistance.
• Domestic Violence and Repeat Victimisation Theory Domestic violence is a crime which often happens because of a bad relationship between a man and woman and usually continues to be repeated until one of the parties leaves the relationship; hence victims of […]
• Domestic Violence: Reason, Forms and Measures The main aim of this paper is to determine the reason behind the rapid increase of domestic violence, forms of domestic violence and measures that should be taken to reduce its effects.
• Domestic Violence Ethical Dilemmas in Criminal Justice Various ethical issues such as the code of silence, the mental status of the offender, and limited evidence play a vital role in challenging the discretion of police officers in arresting the DV perpetrators.
• Annotated Bibliography on Domestic Violence Against Women They evaluate 134 studies from various countries that provide enough evidence of the prevalence of domestic violence against women and the adverse effects the vice has had for a decade.
• Behind Closed Doors: Domestic Violence The term “domestic violence” is used to denote the physical or emotional abuse that occurs in the homes. Therefore, it has contributed to the spread of domestic violence in the country.
• Supporting Female Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse: NGO Establishment The presence of such a model continues to transform lives and make it easier for more women to support and provide basic education to their children.
• Alcohol and Domestic Violence in Day-To-Day Social Life My paper will have a comprehensive literature review that will seek to analyze the above topic in order to assist the reader understand the alcohol contributions in the domestic and social violence in our society.
• Social Marketing Campaign on Domestic Violence In this marketing campaign strategy the focus would be centered on violence against women, as a form of domestic violence that is currently experience in many countries across the globe.
• Effects of Domestic Violence on Children’s Social and Emotional Development In the case of wife-husband violence, always, one parent will be the offender and the other one the victim; in an ideal situation, a child needs the love of a both parents. When brought up […]
• Domestic Violence: Qualitative & Quantitative Research This research seeks to determine the impacts of domestic violence orders in reducing the escalating cases of family brutality in most households. N1: There is a significant relationship between domestic violence orders and the occurrence […]
• Alcoholism, Domestic Violence and Drug Abuse Kaur and Ajinkya researched to investigate the “psychological impact of adult alcoholism on spouses and children”. The work of Kaur and Ajinkya, reveals a link between chronic alcoholism and emotional problems on the spouse and […]
• Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence: Comprehensive Discussion Substance abuse refers to the misuse of a drug or any other chemical resulting in its dependence, leading to harmful mental and physical effects to the individual and the wellbeing of the society.
• Domestic Violence in Marriage and Family While there are enormous reports of intimate partner homicides, murders, rapes, and assaults, it is important to note that victims of all this violence find it very difficult to explain the matter and incidents to […]
• Domestic Violence in the Lives of Women She gives particular focus on the social and traditional aspects of the community that heavily contribute to the eruption and sustenance of violence against women in households. In the part 1 of the book, Renzetti […]
• Impact of the Economic Status on Domestic Violence This article investigates the possible factors that may help in explaining the status of women who are homeless and their capacity to experience domestic violence.
• Affordable, Effective Legal Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence Legal assistance significantly increases the chances for domestic abuse victims to obtain restraining orders, divorce, and custody of their children. Helping victims of domestic violence with inexpensive legal aid is a critical step in assisting […]
• Domestic Violence: Far-Right Conspiracy Theory in Australia’s Culture Wars The phenomenon of violence is directly related to the violation of human rights and requires legal punishment for the perpetrators and support for the victims.
• Domestic Violence and Black Women’s Experiences Overall, the story’s exploration of the reality of life for an African American married woman in a patriarchal society, and the challenges faced by black women, is relevant to the broader reality of domestic violence […]
• Domestic Violence: Criminal Justice In addition, the usage of illegal substances such as bhang, cocaine, and other drugs contributes to the increasing DV in society.
• Witnessed Domestic Violence and Juvenile Detention Research The primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between witnessed domestic violence and juvenile detention. Research has pointed to a relationship between witnessed violence and juvenile delinquency, and this study holds that […]
• Domestic Violence Against Women in Melbourne Thus, it is possible to introduce the hypothesis that unemployment and related financial struggles determined by pandemic restrictions lead to increased rates of domestic violence against women in Melbourne.
• Domestic Violence and Its Main Signs In general, the providers should be able to identify the markers of abuse by paying closer attention to the people they serve, treat, teach, or work with.
• Intersectionality in Domestic Violence Another way an organization that serves racial minorities may address the unique needs of domestic violence victims is to offer additional educational and consultancy activities for women of color.
• Domestic Violence and Primordial Prevention In addition, the promotion of social norms against violence and increased penalties for domestic and sexual abuse need to be supported at the legislative level.
• Healthcare Testing of a Domestic Violence Victim Accordingly, the negative aspects of this exam include difficulties in identifying and predicting the further outcome of events and the course of side effects.
• Financial Insecurity: Impact on Domestic Violence Therefore, this problem is global and widespread, and it would be wrong to assume that spousal abuse only exists when couples are poor.
• Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, or Elder Abuse In every health facility, a nurse who notices the signs of abuse and domestic violence must report them to the relevant authorities.
• Educational Services for Children in Domestic Violence Shelters In order to meet the objectives of the research, Chanmugam et al.needed to reach out to the representatives of emergency domestic violence shelters located in the state of Texas well-aware of the shelters’ and schools’ […]
• The Domestic Violence Arrest Laws According to the National Institute of Justice, mandatory arrest laws are the most prevalent in US states, indicating a widespread agreement on their effectiveness.
• Environmental Scan for Hart City Domestic Violence Resource Center In particular, it identifies the target population, outlines the key resources, and provides an overview of data sources for assessing key factors and trends that may affect the Resource Center in the future.
• Domestic Violence Investigation Procedure If they claim guilty, the case is proceeded to the hearing to estimate the sentencing based on the defendant’s criminal record and the scope of assault. The issue of domestic abuse in households is terrifyingly […]
• Educational Group Session on Domestic Violence This will be the first counseling activity where the counselor assists the women to appreciate the concepts of domestic violence and the ways of identifying the various kinds of violence.
• What Causes Domestic Violence? Domestic abuse, which is also known as domestic violence, is a dominance of one family member over another or the other. As a result, the probability of them becoming abusers later in life is considerably […]
• Domestic Violence and COVID-19: Literature Review The “stay safe, stay at home” mantra used by the governments and public health organizations was the opposite of safety for the victims of domestic violence.
• Domestic Violence and COVID-19 in the United States Anurudran et al.argue that the new measures taken to fight COVID-19 infections heightened the risk of domestic abuse. The pandemic paradox: The consequences of COVID 19 on domestic violence.
• Rachel Louise Snyder’s Research on Domestic Violence Language and framing play a significant role in manipulating people’s understanding of domestic violence and the nature of the problem. However, it is challenging to gather precise data on the affected people and keep track […]
• Domestic Violence Prevention and Restraining Order Since upon the expiry of a restraining order, a victim can file a renewal petition the current task is to determine whether the original DVRO of our client has expired, the burden of obtaining a […]
• Domestic Violence Counselling Program Evaluation The evaluation will be based upon the mission of the program and the objectives it states for the participants. The counselors arrange treatment for both sides of the conflict: the victims and offenders, and special […]
• Domestic Violence and Suicide Risk Hence, considering these facts, it is necessary to put the notion of suicide risk in perspective when related to the issue of domestic violence.
• The Roles of Domestic Violence Advocates Domestic conflict advocates assist victims in getting the help needed to cope and move forward. Moreover, these advocates help the survivors in communicating to employers, family members, and lawyers.
• Ambivalence on Part of the Police in Response to Domestic Violence The police have been accused of ambivalence by their dismissive attitudes and through sexism and empathy towards perpetrators of violence against women.
• Domestic Violence and Home Visit Intervention As the study concludes, despite the increase in general awareness concerning domestic violence cases, it is still a significant threat to the victims and their children.
• Domestic Violence: How Is It Adressed? At this stage, when the family members of the battered women do this to them, it becomes the responsibility of the people to do something about this.
• Victimology and Domestic Violence In this situation there are many victims; Anne is a victim of domestic violence and the children are also victims of the same as well as the tragic death of their father.
• Domestic Violence Among Police Officers The objective of this research is to establish the level of domestic violence among police officers and relative the behavior to stress, divorce, police subculture, and child mistreatment.
• “The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment” by Sherman and Berk The experiment conducted by the authors throws light on the three stages of the research circle. This is one of the arguments that can be advanced.
• Domestic Violence and Diversion Strategies of Drug Offenders in Australian The article is very informative since outlines a couple of the reasons behind the rampant increase in cases of negligence and lack of concern, especially from the government.
• An Investigation on Domestic Violence This particular experiment aimed to evaluate the nature of relationship and the magnitude of domestic violence meted on either of the partners.
• Educational Program on Domestic Violence The reason why I have chosen this as the topic for my educational program is that victims of domestic violence often feel that they do not have any rights and hence are compelled to live […]
• Family and Domestic Violence: Enhancing Protective Factors Current partner Previous partner Percentage of children When children are exposed to violence, they encounter numerous difficulties in their various levels of development.
• Domestic Violence and Women in Abusive Relationships Despite the fact the author of the article discusses a controversial problem of domestic violence against women based on the data from recent researches and focusing on such causes for violence as the problematic economic […]
• Parenting in Battered Women: The Effects of Domestic Violence In this study, ‘Parenting in Battered Women: The Effects of Domestic Violence on Women and their Children,’ Alytia A. It is commendable that at this stage in stating the problem the journalists seek to conclude […]
• Domestic Violence Types and Causes This is acknowledged by the law in most countries of the world as one of the most brutal symbols of inequality.
• Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America The abusive spouse wants to feel powerful and in control of the family so he, usually the abusive spouse is the man, beats his wife and children to assert his superiority.
• Domestic or Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Purpose of the study: The safety promoting behavior of the abused women is to be increased using a telephone intervention. They were allocated to either of the groups by virtue of the week of enrolment […]
• Federal and State Legislative Action on Domestic Violence In 2004, the state of New York decided to look into some of the ways of preventing this form of domestic violence by forming an Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence in 2005, employers […]
• Environmental Trends and Conditions: Domestic Violence in the Workplace Despite the fact that on average the literacy rate and the rate of civilization in the world have been increasing in the past few decades, the statistics for domestic violence have been increasing on an […]
• Domestic Violence in the Organizations Despite the fact that on average the literacy rate and the rate of civilization in the world has been increasing in the past few decades, the statistics for domestic violence have been increasing on an […]
• Domestic Violence and Honor Killing Analysis Justice and gender equality are important aspects of the totality of mankind that measure social and economic development in the world. The cultural justification is to maintain the dignity and seniority framework of the family.
• Facts About Domestic Violence All aspects of the society – which starts from the smallest unit, that is the family, to the church and even to the government sectors are all keen on finding solutions on how to eliminate, […]
• One-Group Posttest-Only Design in the Context of Domestic Violence Problem This application must unveil the risks and their solutions by researching the variables and the threats to the validity of the research.
• Help-Seeking Amongst Women Survivors of Domestic Violence First, the article explains the necessity of the research conduction, which includes the relevance of the abuse problem and the drawbacks of solving and studying it.
• Domestic Violence as a Social Issue It is one of the main factors which stimulate the study’s conduction, and among the rest, one can also mention the number of unexplored violence questions yet to be answered.
• Reflections on Domestic Violence in the Case of Dr. Mile Crawford Nevertheless, the only way out of this situation is to escape and seek help from the legal system. From a personal standpoint, to help her would be the right thing to do.
• Gender Studies: Combating Domestic Violence The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed description of domestic violence, as well as the development of an action plan that can help in this situation.
• Domestic Violence Perpetration and Its Predictors The implementation of sound research can help in addressing the problem and decreasing the incidence of domestic violence, which will contribute to the development of American society.
• Domestic Violence Funding and Impact on Society The number of domestic violence cases in the US, both reported and unreported, is significant. The recent decision of Trump’s administration to reduce the expenses for domestic violence victims from $480,000,000 to $40,000,000 in the […]
• Domestic Violence and Millennium Development Goals As a result, a review of the potential of MDGs for resolving the issue needs to analyze the contribution of the goals to the resolution of the instances, consequences, and causes of DV.
• Campaign against Domestic Violence: Program Plan In addition, men who used to witness aggressive behavior at home or in the family as children, or learned about it from stories, are two times more disposed to practice violence against their partners than […]
• Domestic Violence and Bullying in Schools It also states the major variables related to bullying in schools. They will confirm that social-economic status, gender, and race can contribute to bullying in schools.
• Domestic Violence Within the US Military In most of the recorded domestic violence cases, females are mostly the victims of the dispute while the males are the aggressors of the violence.
• Domestic Violence and Married Couples’ Issues There are different types and causes of domestic violence, but the desire to take control over relationships is the most common cause.
• Domestic Violence Impact on Child Maltreatment Reporting The present research aims to address both the general population and social workers to examine the overall attitudes to the reporting of child maltreatment.
• Domestic Violence Management and Budget Cuts On the other hand, the allocation of financial resources with the focus on awareness campaigns has also led to a lack of financial support for centres that provide the frontline services to victims of domestic […]
• Domestic Violence and Its Impact on Victims This paper highlights some of the recent cases of the violence, the forms of abuse involved, and their overall impacts on the victims.
• Family and Domestic Violence Legislation in the US In fact, this law is a landmark pointing to the recognition of the concept of domestic violence at the legal level and acknowledging that it is a key problem of the society.
• Domestic Violence and Social Interventions In conclusion, social learning theory supports the idea that children have a high likelihood of learning and simulating domestic violence through experiences at home.
• Domestic Violence Victims’ Right to Sue Authorities Victims of child abuse and domestic violence have the right to seek legal recourse in case of violation of their rights.
• Domestic Violence and Child’s Brain Development The video “First Impressions: Exposure to Violence and a Child’s Developing Brain” answers some questions of the dependence of exposure to domestic violence and the development of brain structures of children. At the beginning of […]
• Local Domestic Violence Victim Resources in Kent The focus of this paper is to document the local domestic violence victim resources found within a community in Kent County, Delaware, and also to discuss the importance of these resources to the community.
• Domestic Violence Activism in Law and Society I also suppose that some of these people may start lifting their voices against the law, paying particular attention to the idea that it is theoretically allowable that the law can punish people for other […]
• Domestic Violence Abuse: Laws in Maryland The Peace and Protective Orders-Burden of Proof regulation in Maryland and the Violence against Women Act are some of the laws that have been created to deal with domestic violence.
• Theories of Domestic Violence It is important to point out that women have received the short end of the stick in regards to domestic violence. A third reason why people commit domestic violence according to the Family Violence Theory […]
• Domestic Violence in Australia: Policy Issue In this paper, DV in Australia will be regarded as a problem that requires policy decision-making, and the related terminology and theory will be used to gain insights into the reasons for the persistence of […]
• Nondiscriminatory Education Against Domestic Violence The recent event that prompted the proposed advocacy is the criticism of a banner that depicts a man as the victim of abuse.
• Domestic Violence in International Criminal Justice The United Nations organization is deeply concerned with the high level of violence experienced by women in the family, the number of women killed, and the latency of sexual violence.
• Project Reset and the Domestic Violence Court The majority of the decisions in courts are aimed to mitigate the effects of the strict criminal justice system of the United States.
• Same-Sex Domestic Violence Problem Domestic violence in gay or lesbian relationships is a serious matter since the rates of domestic violence in such relationships are almost equivalent to domestic violence in heterosexual relationships. There are a number of misconceptions […]
• Domestic, Dating and Sexual Violence Dating violence is the sexual or physical violence in a relationship which includes verbal and emotional violence. The rate of sexual violence in other nations like Japan and Ethiopia, range from 15 to 71 percent.
• Anger Management Counseling and Treatment of Domestic Violence by the Capital Area Michigan Works These aspects include: the problem that the program intends to solve, the results produced by the program, the activities of the program, and the resources that are used to achieve the overall goal.
• Understanding Women’s Responses to Domestic Violence The author’s research orientation is a mix of interpretive, positivism and critical science – interpretive in informing social workers or practitioners on how to enhance their effectiveness as they deal with cases related to violence […]
• Poverty and Domestic Violence It is based on this that in the next section, I have utilized my educational experience in order to create a method to address the issue of domestic violence from the perspective of a social […]
• Teenage Dating and Domestic Violence That is why it is important to report about the violence to the police and support groups in order to be safe and start a new life.
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence In addition, NCADV hopes to make the public know that the symbol of the purple ribbon represents the mission of the organization, which is to bring peace to all American households.
• Evaluation of the Partnership Against Domestic Violence According to the official mission statement of the organization, PADV is aimed at improving the overall wellbeing of families all over the world and helping those that suffer from domestic violence The organization’s primary goal […]
• Cross-Cultural Aspects of Domestic Violence This is one of the limitations that should be taken account. This is one of the problems that should not be overlooked.
• Financial Planning and Management for Domestic Violence Victims Acquisition of resources used in criminal justice require financial resources hence the need to manage the same so as to provide the best machines and equipments.
• Violence against Women: Domestic, National, and Global Rape as a weapon for the enemy Majority of cultures in war zones still accept and regard rape to be a weapon of war that an enemy should be punished with.
• Effects of Domestic Violence on Children Development In cases where children are exposed to such violence, then they become emotionally troubled: In the above, case them the dependent variable is children emotions while the independent variable is domestic violence: Emotions = f […]
• Evaluation of Anger Management Counseling and Treatment of Domestic Violence by the Capital Area Michigan Works These aspects include: the problem that the program intends to solve, the results produced by the program, the activities of the program, and the resources that are used to achieve the overall goal.
• Knowledge and Attitudes of Nurses Regarding Domestic Violence and Their Effect on the Identification of Battered Women In conducting this research, the authors sought the consent of the prospective participants where the purpose of the study was explained to participants and confidentiality of information to be collected was reassured.
• Domestic Violence Dangers Mount With Economic, Seasonal Pressures These variables are believed to be able to prompt the family to explore the experiences and meanings of stress and stress management.
• Dominance and “Power Plays” in Relationships to Assist Clients to Leave Domestic Violence According to psychologists, the problem of domestic violence is based on the fact that one partner needs to be in control of the other.
• Art Therapy With Women Who Have Suffered Domestic Violence One of the most significant benefits of art therapy is the fact the patients get to understand and interpret their own situations which puts them in a better position to creatively participate in own healing […]
• Collaborative Crisis Intervention at a Domestic Violence Shelter The first visit is meant to collect the information that the professional in domestic violence deem crucial concerning the precipitating incidence and history of violence.
• Domestic Violence Exposure in Colombian Adolescents In this topic, the authors intend to discover the extent of association of drug abuse to domestic violence exposure, violent and prosocial behavior among adolescents.
• Domestic Violence and Its Classification Sexual abuse is the other common form of maltreatment which is on the rise and refers to any circumstance in which force is utilized to get involvement in undesired intimate action. Emotional maltreatment entails inconsistent […]
• Domestic Violence and Social Initiatives in Solving the Problem The absence of the correct social programs at schools and the lack of desire of government and police to pay more attention to the prevention of the problem while it is not too late are […]
• Domestic Violence in the African American Community Previous research has suggested this due to the many causes and effects that are experienced by the members and especially the male members of the African American community.
• Domestic Violence: Predicting and Solutions There are several factors which predict the state of domestic violence in the future and this will help in preventing domestic violence.
• Domestic Violence: Signs of Abuse and Abusive Relationships The unprecedented rejuvenation of such a vile act, prompted the formation of factions within society, that are sensitive to the plight of women, and fight for the cognizance of their rights in society.
• Domestic Violence against South Asian Women Again, this strategy is premised on the idea that domestic violence can be explained by the financial dependence of women in these communities.
• The Effects of Domestic Violence According to statistics and research provided in the handout, women are at a higher risk of being victims of domestic violence.
• Effect of Domestic Violence on Children This is done with the aim of ensuring that the child is disciplined and is meant as a legitimate punishment. Most of our children have been neglected and this has contributed to the increase in […]
• Domestic Violence and Elderly Abuse- A Policy Statement Though this figure has been changing with the change in the method of survey that was conducted and the nature of samples that were taken during the research process, it is widely accepted fact that […]
• Domestic Violence as a Social and Public Health Problem The article, authored by Lisa Simpson Strange, discusses the extent of domestic violence especially in women and the dangers it exposes the victims to, insisting that severe actions should be taken against those who commit […]
• Guilty until Proven Otherwise: Domestic Violence Cases The presumption of the guilt of a man in domestic violence cases is further proven by the decision of the court in which the man is required to post a bond despite the fact that […]
• Community and Domestic Violence: Elder Abuse In addition, the fact the elderly people cannot defend themselves because of the physical frailty that they encounter, they will experience most of the elderly abuse.
• Community and Domestic Violence; Gang Violence Solitude, peer pressure, need to belong, esteem, and the excitement of the odds of arrest entice adolescents to join these youth gangs.
• Fighting Domestic Violence in Pocatello, Idaho Having realized the need to involve the family unit in dealing with this vice, Walmart has organized a sensitization program that will involve the education of whole family to increase awareness on the issue. The […]
• What Is the Purpose of Studying Domestic Violence?
• What Does Theory Explain Domestic Violence?
• What Is the Difference Between IPV and Domestic Violence?
• What Age Group Does Domestic Violence Affect Most?
• When Domestic Violence Becomes the Norm?
• How Are Domestic Violence Problems Solved in American and Other Cultures?
• What Are the 3 Phases in the Domestic Violence Cycle?
• How Can Domestic Violence Be Explained?
• How Many Deaths Are Caused by Domestic Violence?
• When Was Domestic Violence First Defined?
• How Is a Domestic Violence Prevention?
• How Race, Class, and Gender Influences Domestic Violence?
• Why Do Victims of Abuse Sometimes Stay Silent?
• How Does Domestic Violence Affect the Brain?
• Is Mental Illness Often Associated With Domestic Violence?
• How Does Domestic Violence Affect a Person Emotionally?
• How Does Domestic Violence Affect Children’s Cognitive Development?
• Why Should Employers Pay Attention to Domestic Violence?
• What Are the Causes of Domestic Violence?
• What Country Has the Highest Rate of Domestic Violence?
• How Does Domestic Violence Affect the Lives of Its Victims?
• What Are the Possible Causes and Signs of Domestic Violence?
• How Does Socioeconomic Status Affect Domestic Violence?
• How Does the Australian Criminal Justice System Respond to Domestic Violence?
• How Does Culture Affect Domestic Violence in the UK?
• What Is the Psychology of an Abuser?
• What Is Police Doing About Domestic Violence?
• How Does the Government Define Domestic Violence?
• What Profession Has the Highest Rate of Domestic Violence?
• What Percent of Domestic Violence Is Alcohol-Related?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 26). 153 Domestic Violence Topics & Essay Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/domestic-violence-essay-examples/

"153 Domestic Violence Topics & Essay Examples." IvyPanda , 26 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/domestic-violence-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '153 Domestic Violence Topics & Essay Examples'. 26 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "153 Domestic Violence Topics & Essay Examples." February 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/domestic-violence-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "153 Domestic Violence Topics & Essay Examples." February 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/domestic-violence-essay-examples/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "153 Domestic Violence Topics & Essay Examples." February 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/domestic-violence-essay-examples/.

• Family Problems Questions
• Child Abuse Essay Topics
• Children’s Rights Research Ideas
• Bullying Research Topics
• Childcare Research Topics
• Youth Violence Research Topics
• Abuse Research Topics
• Family Relationships Research Ideas
• Alcohol Abuse Paper Topics
• Drug Abuse Research Topics
• Child Welfare Essay Ideas
• Childhood Essay Topics
• Sexual Abuse Essay Titles
• Divorce Research Ideas
• Gender Stereotypes Essay Titles

Essay On Domestic Violence

500 words essay on domestic violence.

Domestic violence refers to the violence and abuse which happens in a domestic setting like cohabitation or marriage. It is important to remember that domestic violence is not just physical but any kind of behaviour that tries to gain power and control over the victim. It can affect people from all walks of life and it basically subjects towards a partner, spouse or intimate family member. Through an essay on domestic violence, we will go through its causes and effects.

Causes of Domestic Violence

Often women and children are the soft targets of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a gruesome crime that also causes a number of deaths. Some of the most common causes of domestic violence are illiteracy and economical dependency on the menfolk.

The male-dominated society plays an important role in this problem. Further, dowry is also one of the leading causes which have the consequence of violence against newly-wed brides. In many parts of the world, physically assaulting women and passing horrendous remarks is common.

Moreover, children also become victims of this inhuman behaviour more than often. It is important to recognize the double standards and hypocrisy of society. A lot of the times, the abuser is either psychotic or requires psychological counselling.

However, in a more general term, domestic violence is the outcome of cumulative irresponsible behaviour which a section of society demonstrates. It is also important to note that solely the abuser is not just responsible but also those who allow this to happen and act as mere mute spectators.

Types of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence has many ill-effects which depend on the kind of domestic violence happening. It ranges from being physical to emotional and sexual to economic. A physical abuser uses physical force which injures the victim or endangers their life.

It includes hitting, punching, choking, slapping, and other kinds of violence. Moreover, the abuser also denies the victim medical care. Further, there is emotional abuse in which the person threatens and intimidates the victim. It also includes undermining their self-worth.

It includes threatening them with harm or public humiliation. Similarly, constant name-calling and criticism also count as emotional abuse. After that, we have sexual abuse in which the perpetrator uses force for unwanted sexual activity.

If your partner does not consent to it, it is forced which makes it sexual abuse. Finally, we have economic abuse where the abuser controls the victim’s money and their economic resources.

They do this to exert control on them and make them dependent solely on them. If your partner has to beg you for money, then it counts as economic abuse. This damages the self-esteem of the victim.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Domestic Violence

To conclude, domestic violence has many forms which include physical aggression like kicking and biting and it can also be sexual or emotional. It is essential to recognize the signs of domestic violence and report the abuser if it is happening around you or to you.

FAQ of Essay on Domestic Violence

Question 1: Why is domestic violence an issue?

Answer 1: Domestic violence has a major impact on the general health and wellbeing of individuals. It is because it causes physical injury, anxiety, depression. Moreover, it also impairs social skills and increases the likelihood that they will participate in practices harmful to their health, like self-harm or substance abuse.

Question 2: How does domestic violence affect a woman?

Answer 2: Domestic violence affects women in terms of ill health. It causes serious consequences on their mental and physical health which includes reproductive and sexual health. It also includes injuries, gynaecological problems, depression, suicide and more.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Despite 2 million victims of domestic abuse less than 40,000 cases end in conviction – can a new scheme change that?

Share this with

Olga Pramanik used to sleep in her clothes and shoes on the sofa, so that if she needed to escape from her husband in a hurry, she could.

‘ He had always been controlling but when we moved to the UK from Switzerland in 2016 and I wanted to get a job, everything got worse,’ the 40-year-old cleaner from London tells Metro.

‘He wanted me to do what he wanted me to do. I only had his credit card which I used for food shopping, I didn’t have my own bank account. He set up a joint account without me signing any papers.’

When her husband, Kaushik Pramanik, became physically abusive in 2022, the authorities got involved. However, although he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 weeks in jail for coercive and controlling behaviour and 10 weeks for assault by beating, the sentence was suspended for one year.

It meant that despite years of abuse, Olga’s abusive husband walked free from court . And although he is banned from contacting her due to a restraining order, without any sort of prison sentence, he arguably has more freedom now than she did while living with him.

It is estimated that 2.1 million people in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2023, according to the Office of National Statistics’ Crime Survey. 

Yet, despite nearly a 50% increase in such crimes since 2018, prosecutions have reduced by 42% in the same period, according to domestic abuse charity Advance.

As part of their recent report, Her Story, Her Justice , survivors are speaking out about the impact of such lenient sentencing , with one sharing: ‘So many women are too scared to press charges, and then you see someone getting three months for ABH, it just isn’t going to deter him from doing it again.’

Now, the charity is calling for tougher sentencing for domestic abuse, urging that it reflects the severity of the crime.

During Olga’s abusive relationship, the mother-of-four set up a secret bank account and got her first phone, which she knew he’d disapprove of.

Her plan was to get a job as a cleaner so she could be financially independent, but when Pramanik discovered the phone, he tried to confiscate it. He also took Olga’s work clothes and cleaning products and threw them behind the wire fence of a nearby electricity substation where she couldn’t retrieve them.

When Olga ignored his demands to stop working, he told the street’s WhatsApp group that his wife was a prostitute and put her number on an adult website so she got unwanted calls throughout the night.

He warned Olga that if she reported him, no-one would believe her. With her confidence at rock bottom, she gave in and stopped working.

Even so, Pramanik still terrorised his wife and even called the police to report her for sex work.

At her wits end, on Halloween night 2022, Olga told her husband she wanted a divorce. In response, Pramanik hit her across the face multiple times with his mobile phone in front of their children.

‘I was worried my jaw was broken,’ she remembers. ‘I couldn’t speak, my lip was split, my jaw was shaking and I was in so much pain. He hit me so coldly, with no emotion. I was shocked and my daughter had seen it happen . I was worried I would have to go to hospital, but I didn’t want to leave my children with him. The doctors would ask what happened and I didn’t know how to explain.’

However, that wasn’t the end of the abuse. Pramanik would throw stones at his wife and chase her down the garden with a stick. On other occasions he would come to her in bed and silently – so the neighbours wouldn’t hear – shove her, hold her hand, try to kiss her or take her phone. Often, she would end up sleeping downstairs on the sofa, so she could get out to the garden if she was in danger.

‘I was afraid to sleep at night and would try to sleep during the day,’ Olga recalls. ‘I would get by on four hours. I was tired and didn’t know how it was going to end. I could only foresee bad things.’

Two weeks after Halloween, Pramanik was arrested following her neighbour’s report to the police. Although, her husband didn’t spend any time in jail, Olga feels that the fact that he got such a lengthy suspended sentence is at least a step in the right direction.

‘I didn’t know what to expect from the sentencing, but I know prisons are full and my husband had a good barrister,’ she says. ‘But at least he’s following the rules of his restraining order. ‘That said, no-one should live in fear. Sentencing is important; it needs to send the message out that perpetrators of violence will be punished.’ 

While Olga is waiting for the divorce to be finalised, 33-year-old Anna* has ten years to recover from the horrific violence she endured at the hands of her ex before he walks free. 

The couple met in 2021 and clicked straight away. ‘There were no red flags at the beginning ; he just made me feel really special,’ she tells Metro.

Then the abuse began. The first assault happened after a jealous Ben* asked to look at Anna’s phone. When she refused he bit her face in anger.

The mother-of-two remembers: ‘My face was bleeding. He got a tissue, wiped the blood and told me: “Look what you made me do” Then he walked out.’ 

Anna was too scared to report him. ‘I thought – if he could do that to me about my phone, what would he do if I went to the police?’ she explains.

Instead, she stayed in her mum’s house, while a repentant Ben called her multiple times.

‘He got in my head,’ she admits. ‘He told me he loved me like he’d never loved anyone before. That’s what abusers do .’

Ben moved back in, but Anna lived in constant fear of his bubbling rage. ‘Anything he wanted or anything he asked, I would do,’ she remembers.

Soon he became oppressive; dictating where she could go and when, keeping her close by his side at all times. She stopped seeing her friends and answering her phone.

‘I lived with constant anxiety,’ Anna recalls. ‘Anytime I needed to go to the toilet in the night, I used to just wait in bed till he woke up in the morning, so he wouldn’t get angry. He completely diminished my self confidence. In the space of a year, I lost three and a half stone.’

Talking frankly about Ben’s abusive behaviour, Anna explains: ‘Before it would start; his face would go vacant. His whole demeanour would change. I kept thinking – is today going to be the day he will kill me?’

If she walked away, he would pull her back by her hair with such force she was left with permanent hair loss. He kicked and punched her unconscious and left her bleeding and bruised. One assault, filmed by the neighbours, was described as being akin to ‘a grown man kicking a football’.

Ben also burnt Anna, stabbed her and left her with lasting spine damage.

Along with the physical abuse, there was coercive behaviour too. Ben made Anna leave the family WhatsApp group, deleted all her social media and took her phone away. He obsessed over what time she would leave the office, asking her to email from her work address the minute she left so he could monitor how long it took her to get home. If she failed to do so, he would fly into a rage.

Then eventually, he stopped her from working. She wasn’t even allowed to go to the shop on her own. 

Aware of Ben’s dangerous behaviour, social services contacted Anna’s family and friends so they could build a case against him without her having to stand in court.

With the help of the charity Advance, they collected GPS evidence, CCTV and witness statements from neighbours – enough to charge him with GBH with intent.

After 18 months of violence, the police had enough evidence to arrest Ben without a statement from Anna. When they took him into custody she was finally able to tell officers the truth about the abuse.

‘I felt lighter at that point,’ Anna admits. ‘But I knew that wasn’t the end of it.’

Within two weeks Ben had called her 482 times from prison, warning that he had people on the outside who could kill her.

Then, last year, he appeared in court charged with GBH with intent and controlling and coercive behaviour and was sentenced to ten years behind bars.

‘That was the first time I felt safe’, Anna remembers.

Afterwards, one of the detectives working on her case said he would have given it six months before it became a murder trial. ‘That was shocking to hear,’ Anna says. He had immense control over my whole life. It was psychological control.’

IMPACT analysis has shown a 51% increase in arrests leading to conviction and 34% increase in convictions

Anna is incredibly grateful to the support she received from the police, the council and Advance who, under their IMPACT programme, assigned her a specialist police officer and an Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate. 

The programme is designed to overcome problems caused by an intimidating and bureaucratic criminal justice process and to support victims and survivors obtain justice.

And analysis shows that it works; with a 51% increase in arrests leading to conviction and 34% increase in convictions of domestic abuse cases. 

‘Women tell us, first and foremost, that they want to be safe,’ explains Liz Mack, CEO of Advance. ‘The criminal justice system has an essential role to play in tackling domestic abuse; sentences for domestic abuse-related crimes must reflect the seriousness and level of harm caused, but they are just the tip of the iceberg.

‘Appropriate sentences must go hand-in-hand with effective perpetrator programmes and other protective measures, such as restraining orders, which need to be implemented and followed through. 

‘Sufficient criminal sentences are one part of the solution; we need action across the whole system and in the community to keep survivors safe.’ 

Today, Anna is very different to who she was before and has been left with depression and anxiety.

‘I do feel safe now. But more importantly, I feel free,’ she explains. ‘I know ten years will be enough time to sort myself out; to recover and heal from everything that’s happened.’

*Names have been changed

MORE : ‘I still sleep with the lights on’: How domestic abuse victims are being failed

MORE : ‘I thought I’d escaped my abusive ex – then he assaulted me’

MORE : ‘I’ve made 38 complaints about my violent abusive ex – why couldn’t the police convict him?’

Sign Up for News Updates

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more.

Privacy Policy

Get us in your feed

Effects of COVID-19 Shutdowns on Domestic Violence in the U.S.

This chapter examines the impact of COVID-19 shutdowns on domestic violence (DV) in the United States. Despite widespread concerns that pandemic shutdowns could increase DV, initial studies found mixed evidence that varied across data sources and locations. We review the evolving literature on the effects of the pandemic and highlight results from studies that examine multiple measures of DV across a common set of large cities. These studies show that the conflicting early results are due to opposite effects of pandemic shutdowns on two measures of DV in police data: an increase in domestic violence 911 calls and a decrease in DV crime reports. In theory, this divergence can come from either higher DV reporting rates, possibly because of additional media attention to DV and greater third-party calling, or from lower policing intensity for DV crimes. Prior evidence from police data and other sources supports the conclusion that the increase in calls came from greater reporting, while the incidence of criminal DV decreased. Finally, we present new evidence drawing on police and hospitals records from across the state of California to show that DV crimes and hospital emergency department (ED) visits were both lower during pandemic shutdowns.

We acknowledge financial support from the IZA COVID-19 Research Thrust and from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, through the NBER Gender in the Economy Study Group Research Grants on Women, Victimization, and COVID-19. We have no competing interests to disclose. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

MARC RIS BibTeΧ

Download Citation Data

Working Groups

More from nber.

In addition to working papers , the NBER disseminates affiliates’ latest findings through a range of free periodicals — the NBER Reporter , the NBER Digest , the Bulletin on Retirement and Disability , the Bulletin on Health , and the Bulletin on Entrepreneurship  — as well as online conference reports , video lectures , and interviews .

Callum Gordon jailed for raping and attacking women in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Callum Gordon attacked three women during a campaign of violence that spanned more than a decade. A judge said Gordon blamed his victims for 'pressing his buttons'.

Scotland reporter @Jenster13

Monday 25 March 2024 16:46, UK

A "dangerous" domestic abuser who assaulted and raped women during a campaign of violence that spanned more than a decade has been jailed for 12 years.

Callum Gordon was just 18 when he first threatened and attacked a woman in 2009.

The now 33-year-old would go on to target two other women during a spate of offending in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire that continued until 2022.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how his first victim was held down, shouted and swore at, pushed, dragged by her hair, throttled, and thrown against a table and wall during assaults.

In 2010, Gordon subjected the woman to rape attacks and made unwanted and offensive phone calls to the victim.

The second woman was grabbed, shook, slapped and pushed onto a sofa during assaults between 2010 and 2016.

Gordon also hit the victim with a hairbrush and metal object, stood on her foot, and repeatedly raped her.

More on Aberdeen

STV's News at Six and Scotland Tonight programmes removed from schedule as journalists strike amid row over pay

Hundreds of Aberdeen residents to be moved out of homes due to unsafe concrete

Scotland's Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth criticised for failing to read Aberdeen schools violence report

Related Topics:

His aggressive and controlling behaviour included throwing some of her belongings out of a window, damaging her mobile phone, locking her out of her flat, and kicking and hitting a dog in her presence.

In 2017, he broke into a flat while it was unoccupied and waited on his third victim returning to the property before sexually assaulting her.

The following year he shouted and swore at her, punched and kicked her, and hit her on the head with a remote control.

Gordon threatened the woman's dog during his abuse, and punched and kicked the pet in front of her.

He also repeatedly questioned where the victim was and pestered her with phone calls.

'Vulnerable victims'

Judge Lord Braid branded it an "appalling course of sustained criminal conduct".

"All three of your victims spoke in strikingly similar terms of how you would control them, monitor what they were doing, how you would falsely accuse them of infidelity and coerce them into unwanted sexual activity with you.

"You would threaten and abuse them in a variety of ways, in two instances by inflicting violence and cruelty on their dogs."

The judge added: "When you finished a relationship with one partner, you would treat your next partner in the same way.

"Your victims were all, in their own way, vulnerable."

'Serious and lasting psychological harm'

Lord Braid highlighted Gordon's "lengthy" criminal record, which included 15 offences with domestic abuse aggravation.

He said: "Your offending is bound to have caused serious and lasting psychological harm to all of your victims.

"Confirmation of that, should it be needed, comes from the victim statements of two of your victims, in which they each describe the lasting effect your behaviour has had on them, even after all this time.

"I have no difficulty in concluding that you pose a serious risk to any woman with whom you happen to be in a relationship."

Read more from Sky News: NHS probes 'sex video' claims at children's hospital Two men found guilty of murdering footballer at nightclub

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Gordon denied any wrongdoing during a trial but was found guilty of a number of charges and was sentenced on Monday.

'You continue to blame your victims'

Lord Braid said he had shown "no insight" into his offending behaviour, adding: "You continue to blame your victims for 'pressing your buttons', refusing to take responsibility for your own actions.

"You have shown no real remorse."

Gordon was handed a 16-year extended sentence, with 12 years in jail and four years on licence once released back into the community.

He was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and banned from contacting his victims.

Defence counsel Gary Allan KC said his client continued to maintain the position that he adopted at trial but did "have room for vast improvement in his lifestyle choices".

Lord Braid responded: "I hope that you will take the opportunities this sentence will give you to address the issues which have contributed to your offending, as Mr Allan has said you will do."

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Following the court case, Detective Inspector Gordon Patullo said: "Callum Gordon is a very dangerous individual and today he is facing the consequences of his despicable behaviour.

"The testimony of the three victims was absolutely crucial to unravelling his crimes and building such a compelling case against him and I hope they will now feel a sense of closure and be able to move on with their lives."

Related Topics