About one in four women are subject to it. One in six men suffer it. One incident of it is reported to the police every minute, but on average it will have happened to someone 35 times before it is reported. Domestic violence is a massive problem.
Both men and women could assault each other, if not physically, then verbally or mentally. This abuse is rarely a one-off incident - it is usually a string of controlling, abusive behaviour where one partner seeks to have power over the other.
As well as relationships, children can also be harmed, both directly and indirectly, by abuse.
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If they themselves are not abused, then they can still be affected. If one parent hurts another, then what is to say that the child will not follow the example in future?
In the same way, if the child is abused then they may see it as a way to treat their own children.
Too often domestic violence is hidden away behind closed doors. Too often people will not come forward and get help. This could be because they don't know how or where to get the help they need, or because they don't want to come forward. There are all too many reasons.
But even if people don't think so, it's absolutely essential to get out, to take some control, some say in their own life. There's so much help out there, if you know where to look.
There are confidential helplines that can be called, if you just need someone to talk to, and emergency accommodation to stay in while the legal system sorts the abuse out.
Some help lines that you can call:
English National Domestic Violence helpline: 0808 2000 247
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