2 Women every week are killed by?

Question

A partner or ex-partner and Domestic Violence kills more women than cancer (of a certain age bracket).

This is a shokcing statistic, what also surprises me is projects to address domestic abuse still sit largely in criminal justice arenas and there is little, if any preventative support work undertaken. (Meaning people wait until a serious crime has been committed before they can access projects such as IDAP)

Does this surprise you?

(sources IDAP - Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme, based on the Deluth model, The National Probation Service)

Yes such a silly statistic based on police and death records . . . doh!

Sorry I should say IDAP works primarily with male perpetrators but also incorporates womens safety work - I know some support is availible to women, I was speaking more of rehabilitative work.

Answer 1

Some of the answers show just how ignorant people can be about the nature of abusive relationships. Blaming victims and saying that they are not protecting themselves is an odious thing to say, it completely refutes the seriousness of the situations abused women can find themselves in and just how difficult they are to resolve or leave.

It doesn't surprise me anymore. It's the reason that programmes like IDAP struggle, because no matter how hard we challenge people in the groups they go home or to the pub and are surrounded by people who tell them that she was asking for it.

There are some agencies offering preventative work out there, but I'm not convinced that couples counselling is necesarily the way forward as it usualiy places a burden on the (potential)victim to change her behaviour when in fact it's the abbusive man that needs to change.

It'd be great if the work we did in IDAP had already been done before they get to the point where they offend. The underlying beliefs and attitudes are culturally transmitted, the abusive/aggressive behaviours are expressive to start with then they learn that they can get their way by using violence and it becomes a normal part of their relationships.

Those problems need to be addressed in the early years.

There has been progress made in the right direction but it's not been universal and needs to continue, probably for decades more.

***EDIT***

Calum: Domestic abuse is still predominantly male against female and will remain that way until more male victims come forward. That said, murder rates are not easy to hide and it is clear that abusive men kill far more female partners than vice versa. In the recorded instances, the nature and severity of abusive perpetrated by women in relatinships tends not to be on a par with that perpetrated by men.

As it stands our society still favours men in many ways; there are less barriers to stop men from leaving abusive relationships (such as financial dependence).

In short, and as callous as it sounds, male violence towards women in relationships is a bigger societal problem which needs to be prioritised.

Answer 2

Look at the Women's Aid site.....they are the main reps for Domestic Violence....Yes it is a frightening statistic however due to the issues in this type of abuse it is very hard for a woman to breakaway from an abusive relationship.....lack of confidence, self esteem all these things are brow beaten before the actual abuse starts..........Many women have said that the emotional abuse is worse as the physical abuse has to stop st one point.....emotionally it just continues.....add to this the inclusion of children and the whole situation then becomes heart breaking......However don't discount the issue concerning men this figure is on the increase and domestic violence is growing not only in that area but within the gay community as well.......Funding is still a very big issue and most Hostels struggle to achieve appropriate funding in their area couple that with the hidden stigma within the police force and the various different religions and you will find an all time high on statistics.........

Answer 3

Here's some more statistical information on domestic violence in the US:
"According to a U.S. Justice Department study, two-thirds of violent attacks against women are committed by someone the woman knows. In the United States, one of the most dangerous places for a woman is her own home. Approximately 1,500 women are killed each year by husbands or boyfriends. About 2 million men per year beat their partners, according to the F.B.I."

No woman asks to be abused, and they are not weak or stupid for being caught in this situation. They are scared, and often they have no where to turn - or are terrified if they turn to someone about the abuse they will move from a victim of abuse to a statistic of another woman beaten to death.

Answer 4

I agree. But I'm not sure what preventative measures you could possibly suggest. Once a woman or man is struck by a partner, then a crime has been committed and the infrastructure should be there to allow that person to leave, but there are degrees of seriousness and not all domestic abuse is classed as serious.

Answer 5

It surprises me that it is not higher. Men have been hitting women over the head with a club since the year dot, and it will never change.
What you should be looking at is how many men get hit by women, turn it into a %, take in factor the racing hormones in men compared to women and then you'll have your answer. Man or woman, it's wrong. Just wrong.
Rather than go about telling everyone what is wrong in the world, try spending time stopping it. Starting with my soon to be ex- girlfriend. (If I'm not an EX first.)

Answer 6

Its 2 women a week in Britain! not across the world as someone started trying to say, I think its a terrible statistic and i wish there was something we could all do.
Also 1 in 4 women are raped, another fact I find personally devestating.
It wont be a surprise to you cos you seem very intellegent that most of them women who are killed at the hands of their partners are also sexually abused.
Its terrigying and it happens all around us! and people like the first person, saying what a stupid statistic are a sign of what has to be overcome! ITs not that they are stupid or ignorant its just that its not highly publisised.
Imagine going home every night in fear of being beaten. Its awlful! There are plenty of charities out there but unfortunatly not the funding behind them!

Answer 7

I think it is dreadful. To live in constant fear, of physical violence, within your own home must be soul destroying.

This situation has been evident for a long time and has been largely ignored, by governments and most authorities, except
when a situation has escalated and possibly a capital crime has been commited.
I suspect that 90% of the support given to the victims, comes from the voluntary sector who are desperate, for reasonable funding.

With more female MP's in Parliament, I am disappointed that
at least one of them, hasn't made this a priority, maybe they need the facts bringing home to them, a little more forcefully.

Answer 8

I think you'll find it's actually more than that, but don't know the exact figure. Nice of someone to say how easy it is to get out of these situations and prevent them from occuring in the first place, I can assure you it's not, having been through it twice myself. I'd love to become involved in helping other women to get away from these situations and I regularly campaign on white ribbon day.Not enough is being done for sure, the perpetrators should be locked up or rehoused in a grotty bedsit at least 300 miles from their victim, whilst losing any right to make a claim on the joint home

Answer 9

OK i agree with you it is sad and very very horrific..

i must ask this of you and everyone else though.

what about the men killed by women. did you check this statistic. why is it women get the press and the sympathy, but not the men.

my best friend was killed by his wife through domestic violence. and no he did nothing to deserve it, i witnessed many a time she attacked him and he would not hit back. he was capable and much much bigger than her, he did not want to do her harm. but in the end she decided to kill him and she did.

this happens to a great many men. he stayed because he loved his kids, he did not want to loose them to her as the court always gives them to the mother no matter what.

there are a great many case's of such behaviour by women. my friend mark just got rid of his girl friend because she attacks and assaults him regularly. yet if he fought back you would call him and abuser of women. so he took her aside and told her its over. now she smashed his car windscreen, attacked him at the bus station. destroys his property, goes to his house to attack him and so on and so on what do the police do: they take a report a few days later. that's all

now I'm not ranting or railing at you i just pointing out that though your claim is justified and real i think you are being unfair to most men and leaving out the victims of male gender

the programs to combat domestic violence are appallingly inadequate. yet if we come up with a good one that is non government and approved by the EU it will be shot down for a much more ineffective program..

these people of any gender need help to stop being abused and the others need help to stop abusing others. its a complicated issue.

my friends wife got life with out parole and will never see her kids again. the kids lost in this deal. i lost my best friend, the world lost a great kind and loveing farther and man

please be fair to all . it is terrible on both sides for the victims, even for the perps

Answer 10

No it doesn't surprise me at all these facts have been around for sometime and a variety of programmes have highlighted these facts and figures. It is a shocking statistic and if you consider that if the roles were reversed and it was 2 men being killed by their spouse, partner each week you bet there would be more being done about it.