The “Souls of our Shoes” exhibitions that have been taking place since 2017 are being led by the Mothers’ Union, a Christian organisation that has been supporting families worldwide for over 140 years. The initiative is to highlight domestic abuse, and to serve as a visual reminder that with timely help, many can escape from their abusive situations, rebuild their confidence and live in safety. The exhibitions involve pairs of shoes, accompanied by comments from those who have walked away from abuse.
The police recorded 910,980 domestic abuse-related crimes in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022; a 7.7% increase compared with the previous year, continuing an increasing trend. This may reflect an increasing willingness of survivors to report abuse but alternatively, it could be that domestic abuse is increasing. Stretched finances and a lack of services to support families leads to a perfect storm.
The figures demonstrate that domestic abuse is very common, but it is difficult to accurately quantify the numbers. Domestic abuse is a largely hidden crime, occurring primarily at home and is also under reported. This can be due to many factors, including fear of further harm and being subject to controlling and coercive behaviour
Whilst both men and women may experience incidents of inter-personal violence and abuse, statistics demonstrate that women are considerably more likely to experience repeated and severe forms of abuse, including sexual violence. They are also more likely to have experienced sustained physical, psychological or emotional abuse, or violence which results in injury or death.
MOVING THROUGH THE COURT PROCESS
Some instances of abuse amount to criminal offences and proceed through the criminal justice system. There is a need to recognise the anxieties faced by DV complainants in going through the criminal justice process and the need to improve outcomes for them and their families. However, the evidence indicates that there is a lengthy wait for cases to come to trial and then, cases in court are often 'double booked', so some hearings get cancelled at the last minute. Defendants and witnesses are having to make unreasonably long and expensive journeys to court due to court closures.
If you are a survivor of abuse, if you have young children and no childcare, if money is tight etc, it is too much to be expected to travel by public transport at your expense to a court some distance from home, to give evidence in a trial that could be adjourned.
THE KING’S SPEECH
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner responded to the Criminal Justice reforms in the Kings Speech in November 2023 and welcomed the emphasis on the criminal justice system, although expressed the view that it is failing survivors of domestic abuse. The government must ensure sufficient funding at a local level for domestic abuse services that offer support like counselling and advocacy and are so important to survivor wellbeing and recovery. Renewed emphasis on tougher sentencing for perpetrators will help to illustrate the harm posed by perpetrators of domestic abuse.
However, I remain convinced that a huge part of supporting survivors of abuse and safeguarding them lies in the criminal justice framework operating efficiently and speedily. As I write this, Both Blackpool and Preston Magistrates Court in my home county of Lancashire are closed due to the discovery of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete). This means uncertainty, delay and likely more distress for victims.
MY THREE WISHES TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF ABUSE
Eliminate delay in the criminal justice process for DV survivors. Delay is upsetting and counter productive for survivors, who want to rebuild their lives and put matters behind them. It also allows for a “cooling off” period, during which many complainants withdraw support/ leading to poor outcomes.
Have significantly more Independent Domestic Abuse Advisors (IDVAs) available, who support and guide domestic abuse survivors through the justice system. My experience is that they are highly effective and support survivors extremely well, leading to better outcomes.
Ensure that all those who work with survivors or in the criminal justice system have training on the Cycle of Abuse AND that juries are addressed on it. The cycle of abuse or cycle of violence is a concept that was first documented in the 1970s by psychologist Lenore E. Walker. Through observation and interviews with women who had experienced domestic violence, Lenore Walker identified a few stages that tend to repeat in an abusive relationship.
The stages of the cycle of abuse are:
Tension building
Incident of violence
Reconciliation
Calm
This model of a cycle of abuse has served as a reference for mental health professionals, but it isn’t meant to be comprehensive of all experiences related to abuse and it is important to note that abuse doesn’t look the same for everyone or in every situation. However, the cycle of abuse does keep survivors locked in an abusive relationship. Understanding the cycle of abuse is crucial to have insight into why survivors behave a certain why and to challenge the myths and stereotypes about domestic abuse.
THE MESSAGE
Look out for your neighbours, loved ones and friends. Victims will often not realise that they are in relationship with a suspect of abuse, as some abusive behaviours may not in fact be violent or immediately obvious.
Help and advice in relation to DV is available across The UK. I have set out some national portals but you will also find some great local resources in your own area:
Emily Davison Centre Multi-Lingual Helpline
A free multilingual and confidential helpline for domestic abuse against women and girls is now available on 0330 1 34 34 34. Hosted by the Emily Davison Centre, calls are answered by staff who are specially trained in helping victims of domestic abuse. The helpline staff speak several languages including: Urdu/Punjabi/Gujarati/Greek/English/Polish/Russian/Ukrainian
Refuge 24 National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Refuge is the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK. On any given day our services support thousands of women and their children, helping them to overcome the physical, emotional, financial and logistical impacts of abuse and rebuild their lives — free from fear. There is a free 24/7 number to call 0808 2000 247
Women' Aid
A national resource portal dedicated to "empowering domestic abuse survivors by keeping their voices at the heart of our work, working with and for women and children by listening to them and responding to their needs"
Anyone calling the Helpline should be aware that the call will show up in call history on a mobile phone. People who do not feel safe are advised to delete the call log after the call.
Wendy Brook-Evans: Eyes on Crime Contributor.
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