Every minute, an incident of domestic violence is reported to the police.

Every week, two women in England and Wales are killed by a current or former male partner.

Every year, at least 750,000 children witness domestic violence.

Axcording to experts and charity groups across the U.K, these figures could be set to rise  as the economic downturn puts more pressure on problematic relationships and fragile families.

Already, there have been reports that domestic violence is on the rise. Last month, Canterbury-based Rising Sun Domestic Violence Project reported that referrals have rocketed since the nation’s money troubles escalated. In January, figures from the Metropolitan police suggested that there has been a slight increase in domestic violence in England in the past year.

While domestic violence spares no country, circumstance or social class, poverty is considered a contributing factor to instances of domestic violence. Unemployment and job insecurity can escalate issues in fraught relationships, as well as leading to an increase in alcohol and drug abuse – one of the main triggers for domestic violence.

For pre-existing abusers, the recession will only exacerbate the violence. If they lose their jobs they spend more time around their victims, with the possibility that victims could be blamed if they, in turn, become unemployed. As a result, victims in households that are struggling financially will find it harder to escape abusive situations as affordable housing and jobs are so difficult to find. For those with children, many feel ever more trapped, worried that they may not be able to support their children, knowing at the same time that their children are not safe in a violent household.

It is a vicious circle; one predicted by attorney general Baroness Patricia Scotland in an interview with the Guardian late last year:

“When families go through difficulties, if someone loses their job, or they have financial problems, it can escalate stress, and lead to alcohol or drug abuse. Quite often violence can flow from that,’’ she said. Scotland added that domestic violence would only fuel problems with the nation’s economy, mainly due to the fact that our younger generation is negatively affected by it:

“In the future what the real wealth of all our nations is going to depend on is the talent, ability and skills of our people. Domestic violence is a ‘disabler’ of that talent. In all areas of dysfunction there is an overrepresentation of children who have grown up in domestic violence situations. They are less likely to thrive. If we don’t remove this depressant on our ability, then our opportunity to compete on the global stage is going to be diminished.”

According to research by social commentator and former Le Monde Diplomatique editor Ignacio Ramonet, the rates of domestic violence across Europe are varied.

“In Portugal 52.8 per cent of women report that they have been violently treated by their husbands or partners, while in Germany almost 300 women a year – or three women every four days – are killed by men with whom they used to live.”

In Spain it is one instance every four days, while in France six women are killed by partners or ex-partners each month, the majority due to stabbings, shootings, or strangling.

The European country with the worst record for domestic violence is Romania, where almost 13 in every million women are killed by their male partners each year.

But this alarming trend is not just confined to Europe’s financial troubles. The sub-prime crisis is also being blamed for a rise in domestic violence in the U.S. The number of reported domestic violence incidences has almost doubled in the last two years. According to the Human Rights Watch, the projected number of violent crimes committed by intimate partners against women increased from 389,100 in 2005 to 554,260 in 2007.

One of the main barriers associated with preventing further abuse is the chronic under-reporting of incidents.

According to the End Violence Against Women Organisation only half of incidents, which occur in the victims’ or partners’ home, are reported as criminal offences. As a result, domestic violence has more repeat victims than any other crime. On average, there will have been 35 assaults before a victim calls the police.

So what is being done to prevent further abuse in these tough economic times?

In March, the British Government released a booklet offering advice to women on recession-related domestic violence:

“Economic downturns can be difficult times for family relationships. Worries about finances can create additional tension and in some cases, where couples have already decided to part, problems over selling the family home can deepen tensions.”

As well as the numerous campaigns by charity groups such as Amnesty International, the British Government has also invested £90m in support services for women who have been victimised.  There are now more than 100 specialist domestic violence courts in England and Wales, with specially trained lawyers to assist victims through the judicial process.

There have been some positive results, with the number of abusers being prosecuted for domestic violence in England rising from 46 per cent in 2003 to 65 per cent in 2007.

Despite this, there needs to be more focus on prevention, rather that prosecution. It isn’t just GPs, teachers or social workers that need to be more alert to violence in families hit hardest by the credit crunch.With one in four women affected by domestic violence at some stage in their lifetime, someone we know may be a victim. As a society, we need to be more informed of, and vigilant to, the signs of domestic abuse so we can stop this silent crime.

24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000 246

English National Domestic Violence: 0808 2000 247

Northern Ireland Women’s Aid: 0800 917 1414

Scottish Domestic Abuse: 0800 027 1234

Wales Domestic Abuse: 0808 80 10 800

Male Advice & Enquiry: 0808 801 0327

Home Office – Domestic Violence

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/domestic-violence/

Women’s Aid

http://www.womensaid.org.uk/