Combatting Domestic Violence (Part 1)

🎙️ Tune in to Part One of this week's  Black Spy Podcast Critical Thinking

Combatting Domestic Violence

Black Spy Podcast 198, Season 20, Episode 0009 

🎙️ Tune in to Part One of The Black Spy Podcast

Host Carlton King ("The Black Spy") sits down with Dr Rachel Taylor, a leading neuroscientist, and journalist Firgas Esack, to dive deep into these figures. This episode explores not only the statistics but the human, systemic, and gendered dimensions of domestic violence—shining light on under‑reported experiences, prevention strategies, and why these numbers matter.

This is Part One of an extremely informative series on Combatting Domestic Violence—essential listening for anyone looking to understand and address this crisis in modern Britain.

Host Carlton King ("The Blackce Spy") sits down with Dr Rachel Taylor, a leading neuroscientist, and journalist Firgas Esack, to dive deep into these figures. This episode explores not only the statistics but the human, systemic, and gendered dimensions of domestic violence—shining light on under‑reported experiences, prevention strategies, and why these numbers matter.

This is Part One of an extremely informative series on Combatting Domestic Violence—essential listening for anyone looking to understand and address this crisis in modern Britain.

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📊 Prevalence & Victim Demographics (2023–2025)

National Crime Survey (Crime Survey for England & Wales, April 2025 release):

• 8.0% of people aged 16+ (3.9 million) experienced domestic abuse in the last year: 9.5% women (2.3 m), 6.5% men (1.5 m) (ons.gov.uk).

• Since age 16: 26.1% experienced abuse (30.3% women, 21.7% men) .

Year-ending March 2024 figures (ONS):

• 4.8% (2.3 m) experienced abuse: 6.6% women (1.6 m), 3.0% men (712,000) (ons.gov.uk).

• Police recorded ~1.4 m domestic abuse incidents/crimes; 851,000 were actual crimes (ons.gov.uk).

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💔 Deaths Attributed to Domestic Violence (Apr 2023–Mar 2024)

Domestic Homicide Project (2024):

• 262 deaths related to domestic abuse: 164 homicides, 98 suicides triggered by abuse (olliers.com).

• Over a four-year span (2020–2024): 1,012 deaths, including 501 homicides (olliers.com).

• Separate ONS data: Between 2020–2022, 67.3% of domestic homicide victims were female vs. 12.1% non-domestic (ons.gov.uk).

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👥 Gender & Reporting: Under‑Reporting & Survivors

Victim gender breakdown:

• Women face higher prevalence and severity: ~84% of reported victims and ~93% of defendants are male (refuge.org.uk).

• Sexual offenses: 93% female victims, 7% male (ons.gov.uk).

Under‑reporting:

• Only ~14% of serious incidents reported to police in EU contexts; UK similar (en.wikipedia.org).

• Male reporting: ~21% of male victims did not tell anyone in 2022/23 (down from 49% in 2017/18); 18.2% of female victims had similarly not disclosed (mankind.org.uk).

• UK analysis: ~712,000 male victims in 2024 vs. ~196,000 police-reported cases → over half a million male victims unreported (higgsllp.co.uk).

• Barriers: stigma, disbelief (especially for men), fear of reprisals, minimization (en.wikipedia.org).

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🔎 Summary & Contextual Insights

• Women experience domestic abuse at significantly higher rates, suffer more severe forms, and constitute the majority of homicides.

• Male victims are fewer in number but face substantial under-reporting—over 50% go unrecorded—with stigma and disbelief compounding the issue.

• Domestic violence incidents and fatalities remain alarmingly high: ~262 abuse-related deaths annually, with nearly 100 suicides linked to abuse each year.

All statistical data draw from official Office for National Statistics measures (released April–May 2025), Domestic Homicide Project reports, and reputable charity research.