About Domestic AbuseAre You a Victim?
Safety Plan
Abuse is abuse so why do we call abuse that happens in the home 'domestic' abuse? Doesn't this just trivialise the seriousness of it?
One of the reasons is that calling it 'domestic' abuse differentiates it from 'stranger' abuse and allows us to explore some of the crucial differences. It is important to acknowledge these differences because they can help us to understand why women may respond to their experiences in a certain way.
Why Is Domestic Abuse Different?
The victim/survivor and the perpetrator are known to one another, which means that feelings of betrayal of trust may be involved. Usually, the people involved live or used to live together.
- The perpetrator has ongoing access to the victim/survivor, which has implications in terms of what courses of action are safest for the victim.
- Unlike stranger abuse, domestic abuse occurs overwhelmingly in private and behind closed doors. This allows perpetrators to argue in court that they are 'not a danger to the general public'.
- Outsiders tend, on the whole, to take domestic abuse less seriously and are more likely to seek to blame the victim/survivor for the occurrence.
- Domestic violence rarely happens once and if unchallenged or unchecked, tends to increase in frequency or severity over time.
- 'Street' violence is overwhelmingly committed by men against other men. 'Domestic' violence is committed overwhelmingly by men against women.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please visit the contacts page for details of who you can contact for advice and support.