Domestic abuse has soared by an estimated 30 per cent as victims are trapped with abusive partners during the coronavirus lockdown, it has been reported.
The victims’ commissioner, Dame Vera Baird, has called on the government to find extra funding for the sector to support victims and announce a strategy as it’s ‘another epidemic alongside Covid-19’.
Twelve deaths have been reported in the last five days across the country. Grandson Alan Ginges, 32, has been accused of murdering his grandmother Betty Dobbin, 82, in the house they share in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Nurse and mother-of-threeVictoria Woodhall, 31, was also stabbed to death outside her home in Middlecliffe, Barnsley, this week. Her husband Craig Woodhall, a former soldier, has been arrested. Her children were unharmed.
Domestic abuse has soared by an estimated 30 per cent. Victims’ commisioner Dame Vera Baird has called on the government to provide more funding for charities. Pictured, officers attend an address in Langley Mill, Derbyshire, after a body was found at 2am
Grandson Alan Ginges, 32, has been accused of killing his grandmother Betty Dobbin, 82 (left), who he shared a house with in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Former soldier Craig Woodhall has also been accused of killing his wife Victoria Woodhall, 31, (right) who was stabbed to death outside their home in Middlecliffe, Barnsley
Charities and helplines have seen a spike in online contacts recently, reports the Daily Telegraph, which is believed to be because victims are unable to find a way to use the phone.
Dame Baird has called on the government to pay for self-catering hotel rooms for victims if suitable refuges cannot be found.
She said some refuges have been forced to close due to unwell staff, an inability to meet social distancing rules or due to a loss of income through the cancellation of pub quizzes and fetes.
‘The government has done a good job of supporting businesses,’ she said. ‘They need to look at the charity sector now and say this is not the time for it to go down.’
Anthony Williams, 69, has been accused of killing his wife Ruth, 67, pictured, at their semi-detached home in Cwmbran, South Wales
One charity in Swindon has seen calls rise by up to 40 per cent, according to its chief executive,
‘Over the past few days we are seeing calls from younger women,’ Emma Rawlings, chief executive at the Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service, told the Swindon Advertiser.
‘That might be down to new relationships where young people have decided to live together. The cracks may have already been there in that relationship or they’ve got into difficulties.’
In the last five days husband Anthony Williams, 69, has been accused of killing his wife Ruth, 67, at their semi-detached home in Brynglas, Cwmbran, South Wales.
Police were also called to a home in Greater Manchester where they found the body of a pensioner in his 80s. A 40-year-old man has been arrested.
A 28-year-old woman has also been arrested on suspicion of murder in Langley Mill, Derbyshire, after officers found a man’s body inside a property at 2am yesterday.
Police officers pictured outside an address in Greater Manchester where a pensioner in his 80s was found dead. A man has been arrested
Spikes in domestic abuse have also been reported in other countries in lockdown, including Spain, France and Germany.
The Catalan regional government alone said calls to its helpline rose 20 per cent during the first few days of confinement.
The picture was similar in Italy, where activists said calls to helplines had dropped sharply, and had been replaced by a surge in desperate text messages and emails.
- Those affected by the issues raised in this story can contact the National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0808 200 0247, or fill in a submission form.