Domestic abuse - Legislation needs to be updated

Women’s Aid is launching its third annual 2in2u campaign to promote public awareness in order to prevent another generation of domestic abuse.

The two-week campaign seeks to highlight unhealthy and abusive behaviours in the hope that young women will be better informed to avoid involvement before domestic abuse becomes established.

If a young woman is concerned about her boyfriend’s behaviour, she should seek advice and help of Women’s Aid. Domestic abuse is an extremely serious issue that needs to be tackled on different fronts — especially by highlighting the dangers and updating protective legislation.

The Domestic Violence Act is limited by strict co-habitation requirements that do not cover young women who have never lived with their abusive boyfriends. New legislation is needed to deal with more recent technological developments.

Almost 60% of the women who have suffered domestic abuse first experience it before they reached the age of 25. Looking back, many realise that the signs that their partner was possessive and controlling were apparent, but they did not understand the dangers at the time because they were not adequately warned of the signs of what can develop into a perilous situation.

Since 1996, 39 young women between the ages of 18 and 25 have died as a result of domestic abuse. Of those cases that have been resolved, 53% of the women were murdered by their partners or ex-partners.

Not only the young women, but also their friends, families and everybody else should be aware of the danger signs, so that these young people can be encouraged to seek help before it becomes too late. Of course, older people may not be aware of signs or dangers of cyberstalking or cyberbullying, which have developed in recent years.

Terrified callers to Women’s Aid national freephone helpline have been detailing how former and current boyfriends have been using the latest cyber-technology to monitor, control, and harass them.

Our legislation needs to be updated, because there is an obvious gap in the law when only a young woman who has lived in a domestic setting with her tormentor is eligible for the protection of safety orders.