Police shock at girls facing abuse on text and Facebook

The study by Strathclyde Police found one in two young men, and one in three young women, thought it acceptable to hit a woman or force her to have sex in some circumstances.

And one in eight young men agreed that "nagging" justified violence.

Superintendent Peter McPike, of the domestic abuse task-force, said: "There is no doubt domestic violence among young people is a growing problem; we have seen that through a number of inquiries. It typically involves text messaging and other forms of communication - Facebook, especially - which boys use to control their girlfriends,

"The more we investigate, the more prevalent it seems to be. There's a common misconception that young people don't suffer domestic violence. But that's not true."

• Premium article- Leader: Lessons to be learned in cyberspace

Strathclyde Police admits there is little it can do about social networking sites.

Facebook has introduced a safety alarm for children who believe the person they are chatting to is a paedophile, but a similar device for domestic violence would require the victims to be willing to come forward.

So they are trying to do more to educate young people.

In 2008-9, a total of 2,580 domestic incidents involving participants aged 18 or under were reported to police in Scotland - almost 5 per cent of all domestic violence cases.

Most protagonists of violence against young women are men aged 19 to 21, who form 38 per cent of all perpetrators.

In Strathclyde, just one in 75 teenagers, aged 15 to 19, reported domestic incidents. But a 'Raising the Issue of Domestic Abuse in School' study revealed that a third of pupils in one Scots secondary school disclosed anonymously that they were experiencing domestic abuse, suggesting the true figure is far higher than police reports suggest.

Michelle Miller, president of the Association of Directors of Social Work, said: "No form of domestic abuse is acceptable. Physical, mental or verbal abuse are all forms of domestic abuse that are just as distressing and harmful to their victims.

"It is concerning reports of domestic abuse, particularly among young people, are rising."

Ruth Ritchie, service manager for Children 1st in West Lothian, said: "We are very much aware that domestic violence amongst young adults is a growing issue. We have been to every secondary school in West Lothian to discuss domestic violence and sexually aggressive behaviour.

"They have shared their experiences with us and a lot of the time we find that the young person is living with domestic violence in the home.Boys then start to replicate this behaviour with their girlfriend, and girls learn to accept it as the norm.

"They need support and guidance to show them that this behaviour is unacceptable.

"We also run courses for young mothers in West Lothian who are dealing with or have dealt with domestic violence."

Louise, 18, is among those who have received help from Children 1st. She said: "Doing the course literally saved my life.

"The course gave me the confidence to get out of the very violent relationship I was in with my daughter's dad."

Case Study

EMMA was not even 16 when she first met her violent and controlling boyfriend.

Now 22 and in a stable relationship in the Borders, with two young children, she said: "I met him through a friend. He seemed a nice guy at the time, but he started drinking all the time and when he came home he would lash out.

"I stayed with him because I loved him and I had fallen pregnant," said Emma. "But in the end I had to leave for me and my daughter."

Emma's name was changed to hide her identity.