What is domestic violence?
From the 31 March 2013 the Government extended the definition of domestic violence and abuse to include young people aged 16-17 as well as wording to capture coercive control. The new definition is:
Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse:
- psychological
- physical
- sexual
- financial
- emotional
Controlling behaviour is: a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.
Coercive behaviour is: an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.
This definition includes so called 'honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, and is clear that victims are not confined to one gender or ethnic group.
You can read more about the new definition on the Government's Domestic Violence Policy Page
National charity Women's Aid define domestic violence as physical, sexual, psychological or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship and that forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. This can include forced marriage and so called honour-crimes. Domestic violence may include a range of abusive behaviours, not all of which are in themselves inherently violent.
Anyone can experience domestic violence - it can happen in all kinds of relationships, regardless of age, race, sex, sexuality, disability, wealth, gender identity and lifestyle. It is rarely a one-off event. Physical and sexual abuse tends to get more severe and happen more often over time. Domestic Violence can affect men in heterosexual or same-sex relationships - see the link on the right.
What can I do if I suffer domestic violence?
Domestic violence is a crime. Never hesitate to call the police who have specialist domestic violence officers trained to help you and put you in touch with other agencies who can help you with safety planning, housing issues, drug or alcohol problems or give details of solicitors who can assist you with the legal side of things.
Cambridgeshire Police can be contacted on 101 (non-emergencies). In case of emergency, please dial 999.
If you are female and feel reluctant to speak to the police, we recommend you call Women's Aid who are an independent charity run by women to help other women. You can speak to them in the strictest confidence about your problems and they can offer you practical and emotional support or help you find emergency refuge accommodation if you are escaping abuse.
Cambridge Women's Aid can be contacted via the link on the right of the page.
As well as the links on the right of the page, please see the Useful Contacts page for the Directory of Services which gives contact details for agencies who work with people involved in domestic abuse or sexual violence.
The Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (IDVA Service):
The Domestic Violence Advocacy Service offers crisis support and information to survivors of domestic abuse.
The advice workers work with a wide variety of statutory and voluntary agencies across the county.
The service supports high and very high risk victims referred by the police. When a police officer attends an incident they will tell the victim about the service and ask them if they would like to be referred. Other professionals, such as social workers, midwives, probation officers etc. can also refer a client to the IDVA Service, provided they have completed a full risk assessment with the client.
Once a client has been referred to the IDVAs, they contact the client and talk them through his or her options. They also provide information to help them make decisions, advocate with agencies on the client's behalf, assist with personal safety planning, support clients through the civil and criminal justice system and give emotional support.
All contact with clients is mutually agreed upon and takes place at safe times and in safe locations.
For more information on any of the above, please contact the Multi-Agency Referral Unit (details to the right of this section).