Domestic Violence, Useful Figures

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The BCS estimates that 13% of women and 9% of men had been subject to domestic violence (abuse, threats or force), sexual victimisation or stalking in the twelve months prior to interview.

4% of women and 2% of men were subject to domestic violence (non-sexual domestic threats or force) during the last year.

Among women subject to domestic violence in the last year, the average number of incidents was 20, while 28% experienced 1 incident only. Of men subject to domestic violence in the last year, the average number of incidents was 7, while 1 incident was experienced by 47%

8% of women and 6% of men were subject to stalking during the last year. This means that over 1.2 million women and almost 900,000 men were affected.

Injuries were often sustained as a result of domestic violence, especially among women. During the worst incident of domestic violence experienced in the last year, 46% of women sustained a minor physical injury, 20% a moderate physical injury, and 6% severe injuries, while for 31% it resulted in mental or emotional problems.

Among men, 41% sustained a minor physical injury, 14% a moderate physical injury, 1% severe injuries and 9% mental or emotional problems.

64% of women and 94% of men subject to domestic violence in the last year did not think that what had happened to them was a crime. However two-thirds of women who had been victimised many times did think it was a crime. These women were also more likely to think that what had happened to them was 'domestic violence'. There was a greater likelihood of applying the concepts of domestic violence and crime to the incident if injuries were sustained and the acts were severe and repeated.

31% of female victims and 63% of male victims had not told anyone other than the survey about the worst incident of domestic violence that they had suffered during the last year.

In less than 1 in 4 (23% women; 8% men) of the worst cases of domestic violence in the last year did the police come to know.

Asked why they did not report the worst incident of domestic violence in the last year, 41% of women and 68% of men replied they thought that it was too trivial, 38% of women and 39% of men that it was a private family matter, 7% of women and 5% of men that they did not want any more humiliation, and 13% of women, but no discernible percentage of men, that they feared more violence or that the situation would get worse as a result of police involvement.

In the worst cases of domestic violence against women during the last year where the police had been informed, as far as the women were aware, the police had arrested the perpetrator in 21% of cases, sent him to court in 10%, spoken to him in 42% of cases, and, in 29% of cases, not found the person, nor spoken to or arrested him, nor sent him to court. Of that minority of women who used the police service, 68% were fairly or very satisfied and 31% a bit or very dissatisfied.