Facts & Figures

Domestic Violence - the extent of the problem

Few people realise that domestic violence accounts for a large part of the nation's crime.

The following statistics give an indication of the extent of this crime. Bear in mind that due to considerable under-reporting, these figures are likely to underestimate the actual level of domestic violence.

Crimes of domestic violence committed by men on women account for a very large part of personal violence:

45% of female homicide victims were killed by present or former partners compared to 8% of male victims [Criminal statistics 1992, Home Office]

Several small sample surveys have suggested that one in four women will have experienced at least one act of violence by a partner at some time in their lives. [Andrews 1987, Painter 1991, Mooney 1993]

Domestic violence offences comprise around 25% of all assaults recorded by the police [British Crime Survey 1989, Jones et al 1986, Dobash & Dobash 1980]

The British Crime Survey further showed that if only the most serious assaults were considered, over a quarter of these were also domestic violence

The Home Office Violent Crime Survey 1989 suggests that domestic violence offences comprise between 10-15% of all offences of violence against the person recorded to the police

Incidents of domestic violence were the most numerous type of assaults uncovered by the British Crime Survey 1992 (estimated at 530,000 in 1991)

Eight out of ten incidents were against women and nearly half of the assaults mentioned by women were of this type [British Crime Survey 1992]

In 90% of incidents of domestic violence, children are in the same room or the next room [Hughes 1992]

In 68% of incidents of violence against the mother, a child witnesses the assault [Leighton 1989]

A third of children present during an incident of domestic violence intervened to try to protect their mother [Hammer 1990]