Domestic Abuse Reports In Scotland Rise By 7% In A Year

The number of reported incidents of domestic abuse in Scotland has increased by 7% in a year, government figures have shown.

The chief statistician said police recorded 59,847 cases in 2011-2012, rising from 55,698 the previous year.
But there was a 4% drop in the number of domestic abuse incidents being recorded as a crime or offence.
The Scottish government said the figures showed too many women and men were still being subjected to abuse.

According to the figures, domestic abuse was most likely to happen in the home, where 87% of incidents took place in 2011-12. The victim was most commonly a woman, with 81% of cases having a female victim and male perpetrator. And women were at most risk between the ages of 22 and 25, while men were most likely to be victims between 31 and 35 years old.

The number of cases with a male victim and female perpetrator stood at 17% in 2011-12, which is an annual increase of one percentage point. There has been an 8% rise in these cases since 2002-03. Assault, which accounted for 44% of all incidents, was the most commonly recorded crime or offence, with threatening or abusive behaviour second most common, at 17%.

You can read more on this story here.

Rise In Convictions For Violence Against Women

Prosecutions and convictions for crimes of violence against women and girls have risen by 15,000 over four years.

The figures come from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which covers England and Wales.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, said the rise was due to better training and a greater understanding of victims. The Refuge charity welcomed the increase but said it represented only "the tip of the iceberg".

Most victims of domestic violence suffer in silence - Mr Starmer said a woman would on average be assaulted 30 times before she sought help. In a speech he will highlight the progress he believes the CPS has made when it comes to all violent crime against women and girls.

The DPP will tell his audience that last year in England and Wales there were 91,000 prosecutions and 52,000 convictions. The CPS launched its Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy in 2008.
It focused on a number of issues including domestic violence, rape, forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

You can read more on this story on the BBC News website here.

Response To The Cross-Government Consultation On The Definition Of Domestic Violence

The Office of the Children's Commissioner has published a response to the cross-government consultation on the definition of domestic violence.

The response is based on: Emerging evidence from the Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups; Research into children’s experience of risk and child protection; Research into the mental health needs of children in the youth justice system; Internal expertise across safeguarding, child abuse, domestic violence, health and serious youth violence, held at the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

The response is freely available to download here: http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/publications/content_568

'Clare's Law' Gives Right To Ask On Domestic Violence

People in some parts of England and Wales will have more rights to find out about a partner's domestic violence history as a new scheme is trialled.

Police forces in Greater Manchester, Gwent, Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire will run a 12-month trial of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

The pilot scheme, which will run from summer 2012, will help victims or potential victims of domestic violence by disclosing information about previous violent offending by their partner.

There are two options - the right to ask and the right to know. The first gives people the right to ask police about a partner’s previous history of domestic violence or violent acts, and the second means police can proactively disclose information in certain circumstances.

It comes after calls for a national scheme gained momentum following the tragic case of Clare Wood, who was murdered by her former partner in Greater Manchester in 2009. Her partner had three previous convictions under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. You can read more about the pilot scheme on the Home Office's publication's page. The scheme is just one of the ways in which the government is tackling the issue of domestic violence as part of its call to end violence against women and girls action plan.

New Report About Trauma & Violence in the Lives of Young People

A new report by Roger Grimshaw for the Centre for Crime & Justice Studies has been published: My story: young people talk about the trauma and violence in their lives.

The report was compiled through a series of in-depth conversations with young people imprisoned for serious violent acts. It offers an insight into the kind of severe, multiple and prolonged trauma experienced by many who while still children go on to perpetrate violent offences. The trauma recounted by the story tellers includes: witnessing domestic violence; abandonment and loss; neglect; sexual and physical abuse; kidnapping; growing up in a family where crime and violence is a normal state of affairs.
Published 23 November 2011
http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/mystory.html