Why We Act
Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is not limited to physical violence and can include a range of abusive behaviours. It can also be experienced as repeated patterns of abusive behaviour to maintain power and control in a relationship.
​
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 defines domestic abuse as any incident or pattern of incidents between those aged 16 years and over who; are a partner, are an ex-partner, are a relative or have, or there has been a time when they each have had, a parental relationship in relation to the same child.
​
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 outlines the following behaviours as abuse: physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse, psychological, emotional, or other abuse.
​
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises children under the age of 18 years who see, or hear, or experience the effects of the abuse, as a victim of domestic abuse if they are related or have a parental relationship to the adult victim or perpetrator of the abuse.
Impact on Work and the Economy
“Domestic abuse stretches into every aspect of victims’ lives – including their working life. As many as one in five victims may need to take time off work because of abuse.”
— Government report, 2021​
Lost productivity & absence
Domestic abuse-related absence can create significant economic losses for both individuals and employers.
​
Cost to individuals
Vodafone & KPMG research estimates a loss of £5,800 per female victim each year due to impacts on career progression.
​
Cost to business
UK businesses lose around £316 million in output annually because of work absences linked to domestic abuse.
Key Facts & Impact
Lifetime prevalence
1 in 4 women in England & Wales will experience domestic abuse.
Since age 16, 20.5% (9.9 million) people have ever experienced it.
​​
Annual prevalence
4.8% of adults (6.6% women; 3.0% men)—approximately 2.3 million people—experienced domestic abuse in the last year.
More by a partner/ex-partner (3.2%) than by another family member (1.9%).
​
Reporting gap
Police receive a domestic abuse–related call every 30 seconds.
Yet under 24% of incidents are reported to them.
Child exposure
1 in 5 UK children has lived with an adult perpetrating domestic abuse.
Gender dynamics
93% of defendants are male; 84% of victims are female.
Women are nevertheless three times more likely than men to be arrested in domestic-abuse incidents.
​
Total societal cost
Domestic abuse costs the UK an estimated £23 billion per year, weighing heavily on both our health and our economy.
​
