More difficult for ethnic women to find refuge

A perception exists that domestic violence is more likely among certain ethnic minorities, particularly Travellers, but charities say it’s not that it is more prevalent but that escaping it is more difficult.

“There is a myth out there that Traveller culture is accepting of domestic violence,” says Sandra Byrne of the Violence Against Women programme at the Pavee Point Travellers’ Centre, “but it’s an issue not so much for cultural reasons as internal constraints.”

Traveller women face greater practical barriers in that, if they live in a halting site with extended family, moving in with a relative may only mean getting metres away from their husband.