WUNRN
NORTHERN IRELAND - DOMESTIC ABUSE
INCREASES - REPORTED EVERY 21 MINUTES
7 January
2013 - Domestic abuse is reported every
21 minutes in Northern Ireland, it has been revealed.
Around a quarter of women
suffer from violence which can be physical, emotional, financial or sexual,
Women`s Aid Federation Northern Ireland said.
A spokeswoman for the
support organisation said an extra effort was being made to encourage victims
to come forward.
"Domestic violence
has always been pervasive in our society. Raised numbers of people are calling
our helpline and using our outreach services," she said.
She added higher volumes
of people seeking help and reporting incidents to police did not mean the total
number of cases actually happening was increasing because so many crimes go
unreported.
The number of domestic
abuse incidents is at its highest level recorded in the last two years, PSNI
statistics released late last year said.
At 6,885, the figure for
the second quarter of 2012/13 is 212 higher than the previous quarter and shows
an increase of 511 on the same quarter the previous year. Police noted a
general upwards trend since the latter part of 2010/11.
PSNI statistics for
2009/10 indicate that they responded to a domestic incident every 21 minutes of
every day of the year.
Ulster Unionist Party MLA
Sandra Overend said on average victims will experience 35 incidents of domestic
abuse before they make a call for help. UUP constituency offices now provide a
safe place for victims of domestic violence. Ms Overend recently co-ordinated
training for constituency staff from across Northern Ireland to help support
victims, in conjunction with Women's Aid.
"Domestic abuse
hurts the most vulnerable in our society which is why the UUP is totally
committed to helping those affected," she said. "Shockingly the cases
of domestic violence against men and women continue to grow. It is important
that victims know that there is help for them out there and they do not have to
suffer alone."