Shocking rise in domestic abuse
23,000 CHILDREN ARE BELIEVED TO BE AFFECTED IN JUST ONE BOROUGH
MORE than 32,000 residents in one Greater Manchester borough are estimated to have experienced domestic abuse in their lifetime and more than 23,000 children are currently affected.
Trafford’s domestic abuse charity said that nowhere near this number of people are currently being supported by their services as demand has soared in the last 18 months.
Some sobering statistics were included in a report about Trafford council’s domestic abuse strategy which was being reviewed this week – including a breakdown of how many people within different demographic groups have been affected.
Using estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales up to the end of March 2018, the report said it is estimated that around 5,316 women (7.9pc) and 2,749 men (4.2pc) in Trafford have experienced domestic abuse in the last year alone.
SafeLives Insights data also states that two in five children (41pc) in families where there is domestic abuse have been living with that abuse since they were born. Based on the current child population in Trafford, this would mean 23,216 children across the borough currently live in households where there is domestic abuse.
Nationally, 28.9pc of women and 13.2pc of men have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16. If these percentages are applied to
Trafford, that could amount to 19,448 women and 8,638 men – 28,086 people across the borough.
The report added that here are an estimated 1,840 young people between 16-24 who are victims of domestic abuse every year in Trafford.
That’s alongside around 1,760 individuals over the age of 60, around 1,200 members of the LGBTQ+ community, 1,010 people from ethnic minority communities and around 5,260 disabled residents that are also estimated to experience domestic abuse every year across the borough.
It is understood that the real figures could be higher, as a number of domestic abuse cases go unreported.
Samantha Fisher, CEO of Trafford Domestic Abuse Services, said: “The figures start to show the reality of domestic abuse across the borough but the number of people accessing support services does not come near this. Whilst we support over 1,800 people a year, there are many more victims living with abuse needing to break free.
“We have to work harder to make domestic abuse everyone’s business so wherever you are in Trafford and whatever your circumstances, you know there is support available for you, your friend, family member, colleague.”
Across Greater Manchester, 36pc of all violent crime reported to the police involves domestic abuse. While 80pc of the domestic abuse cases that are prosecuted in Greater Manchester result in a conviction – which is higher than the national average – it represents only around 1 in 13 incidents reported to the police that are successfully prosecuted in England and Wales.
As part of its review of its domestic abuse strategy, Trafford council undertook a comprehensive needs assessment and has been redesigning the way that victims of domestic abuse can access help to make it easier and more straightforward, while providing more wraparound support.
A council spokesperson said in the report: “Trafford Partnership is committed to preventing and reducing the harm caused by domestic abuse by developing and implementing a sustainable system wide approach to prevention, early intervention, response and support.
“In Trafford we are committed to enabling our residents, their families, and communities to live a healthy life, free from abuse and violence. We will support this by reducing the impact of domestic abuse on the population of Trafford.”
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse, you can contact Trafford Domestic Abuse Services on 0161 872 7368 or via their website.
The figures start to show the reality... but the number of people accessing support does not come near this Samantha Fisher