ISSUES
: Domestic Violence
Chapter 1: Domestic violence
5
‘fight back’ will be affected by alcohol.
It is easy to assume how a woman
should react when she is being raped.
However, the reality for victims is that
they are trying to survive a frightening
and traumatic ordeal and will do
whatever they believe will ensure that
they won’t be subjected to further
harm and abuse.
MYTH: Child sexual abuse is not a
widespread problem
FACT: 59% of young women suffered
some form of sexual abuse (including
being made to look at pornography)
before they were 18.
MYTH: Most child abusers do it in
a moment of madness/weakness
and regret it, so they never do it
again
FACT: Men who sexually abuse
children can average as many as 73
victims before they are caught. Abuse
takes place over an average of eight
years. A sample of 561 offenders
completed a total of 291,737 acts with
a total of 195,407 victims (only 3% of
these offences were detected).
MYTH: Only certain types of men
abuse children
FACT: There is no ‘type’ of man who
is an abuser – they come from every
class, professional, racial and religious
background. They are, however,
mostly married men.
MYTH: Domestic violence is not a
serious and widespread problem
FACT:
Unfortunately,
domestic
violence is an everyday occurrence
affecting thousands of women and
their children. More than one in four
women in England and Wales (4.8
million) since the age of 16 have
experienced at least one incident of
domestic abuse.
Every year one million women
experience at least one incident of
domestic abuse – nearly 20,000
women a week. The police receive
a call every minute asking for help in
relation to domestic violence. In the
UK, two women a week are murdered
by their partner or ex-partner and 500
women a year commit suicide as a
result of domestic violence.
In the 15–44 age group, more women
are killed globally in domestic violence
attacks than in war, accidents
or by cancer. Domestic violence
cuts across age, ethnicity, religion,
disability, sexuality and class: it is a
global health problem and a human
rights issue.
MYTH: Men are abused as much
as women
FACT: Men can also be victims
of domestic and sexual violence.
However, violence against men is
usually perpetrated by other men
and not women. Betsy Stanko’s
domestic violence count found that
8% of reported assaults involved a
woman assaulting a man whilst 81%
of incidents involved a women being
attacked by a man. Domestic and
sexual violence disproportionately
affects women and girls and the
Scottish Crime Survey, 2002 found
men are less likely to be seriously
injured, repeat victims, to report feeling
fearful in their own homes, and that the
majority of victims are women.
MYTH: You can tell if a woman is
experiencing domestic violence
because she will be covered in
bruises
FACT: Domestic violence is not just
about physical violence and in fact
includes psychological, emotional and
verbal abuse. Controlling finances,
keeping someone isolated, telling
someone they are worthless and
stupid, threats of violence, constantly
checking text messages are a few
examples of the acts of power and
control exerted by perpetrators.
MYTH: Alcohol is one of the main
causes of domestic violence
FACT: Not all men and boys who
have been violent to their partners
have been drinking alcohol or have
an alcohol problem. Men or boys
who are perpetrators of domestic
violence believe that they have the
right to control, dominate and hurt
their partners and they hold these
beliefs regardless of whether they
drink alcohol or not. Alcohol is not
responsible for violent and abusive
behaviour, the perpetrators are.
MYTH: It is acceptable for a man/
boy to video sex with his girlfriend
on a mobile phone and show it to
his friends or put it on the Internet
FACT: Sex is not something that has to
be sharedwith or ‘performed’ for other
people. Although sexually explicit
behaviour is presented as being the
norm, particularly through reality TV
shows for example, this can promote
the idea that boundaries are no longer
needed and that it is acceptable to be
open about very private and personal
matters to people who perhaps do not
care about you or are not concerned
about your welfare. This is a form of
exploitation and even if the girl has
‘allowed’ herself to be filmed, this may
be because she is unable to voice her
lack of consent due to low confidence,
low self-esteem, peer pressure or fear
and intimidation. Filming sex with
anyone under 16 is a criminal offence,
and the police will prosecute anyone
doing this.
MYTH: When boys at school pinch
girls’ bottoms or touch their breasts,
it is just harmless fun
FACT: This is a form of sexual bullying
and harassment. It is unacceptable
and against the law. If this behaviour
is not challenged then it condones a
form of violence against women. It
sends out amessage tomen and boys
that the bodies of women and girls
are available for them to treat as they
please. Figures from the academic
year of 2006–2007, 3,500 pupils were
suspended for sexual misconduct:
sexist graffiti, name-calling, touching,
sexual assault and rape. Although
this kind of behaviour is illegal in the
workplace, sexual harassment still
happens and it is believed that one in
two women experience this form of
harassment.
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The above information is
reprinted with kind permission
from the Women and Girls
Network. Please visit
org.uk for further information.
© Women and Girls Network 2016
