Warnings of a spike in calls to domestic abuse helplines after the festive period
Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicola Jacobs says Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for victims
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales is urging anyone who is in an abusive relationship to seek support throughout the festive period.
Nicole Jacobs took on the independent role in 2019, and says January is normally a busy time for helplines, as people look for help after enduring the Christmas break.
Stats show around one in 20 people experienced some form of domestic abuse in the year to March 2022.
This equates to around 7% of women and 3% of men, and almost 2.5m people.
Domestic abuse risks over Christmas
Nicole told us: "What we typically see on the helplines is a quiet time over the Christmas period, but then as soon as routines are back, schools are back, you see a real spike in calls, and people trying to get support, where people have had a terrible time when they're all together.
"We saw the same during COVID and it's the same principle.
"When families are together, that can be happy for some, but in the context of domestic abuse it causes a lot of stress and pressure.
"People are not in their normal routines, there's a lot of alcohol, there's a whole combination (of factors) that can cause stress for people over the holidays."
"Reach out for help"
The Commissioner told us the effects of being a victim of domestic abuse can be severe: "If you can imagine being controlled in everything you do that's ultimately what domestic violence feels like, very much a lack of freedom.
"That can be reinforced by physical abuse, but also other ways that someone finds to control another.
"If people feel able, and the need to reach out for help, there are helplines out there.
"People can look at the national helplines, but there are often local support, if you look at your local authority website, or Google, they should be easy to find."
Where to get help
As well as looking on your local council website, you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247
You can also contact it online
There is guidance around what domestic violence is, places you can seek support, or find out if your partner has an abusive past on the government website