£10m to battle domestic violence

Published on Saturday 23 February 2008 18:48

A NEW £10m campaign to crack down on domestic violence is to be launched by the Scottish government. It is hoped the money will help reduce the misery caused by attacks and assaults in the home which is estimated to cost the country's economy around £1.5bn a year.

Latest figures estimate that there were 47,000 such incidents in Scotland last year, however, experts believe that figure to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Heather Coady of Women's Aid Scotland said that, in her experience, most victims endure up to 35 attacks before even bothering to formally report them. "We know that many, many women do not come forward at all," she said. "Alcohol, drug and sexual abuse as well as health and poverty issues can all be traced back to domestic violence."

Another problem is the number of children who witness, almost daily, attacks in the home. The trauma of what they see can remain with them for years. Coady said the number of youngsters caught up in this situation in Scotland could be as high as 100,000.

"It does not matter where you live or how much you earn, domestic abuse cuts across ever social divide," said Coady. "And sometimes, for women whose husbands are outwardly respectable and pillars of society, it can be harder for them to be believed or find an outlet to make a complaint."

Last night, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "In spring we will launch the National Domestic Abuse Delivery Plan, which will outline our plans to improve the lives of children and young people affected by domestic abuse. Ministers have allocated 10m over the coming three years to support its implementation."

The project will see more counsellors being trained to liaise with families affected by domestic abuse and the setting up of special referral centres where victims can go if they have been attacked.