This is a summary of a report published by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales in January 2025.
“All victims and survivors of domestic abuse, no matter who they are or where they live, deserve the option of a comprehensive, robust, and trauma-informed response from the criminal justice system that supports them to safety. This response should be equally strong in its aim to bring perpetrators to justice.”
What is the issue?
The scale of the problem
Only 20% of all victim-survivors of domestic abuse interact with the criminal justice system. Numbers are steadily increasing, through improved awareness and better reporting. However, charge and conviction rates for perpetrators remain unacceptably low – suggesting systemic failures such as poor investigation, prison overcrowding, underfunded victim support services, and poor enforcement of protective orders. Well-documented examples of police-perpetrated domestic abuse and court delays further undermine confidence in the justice system.
While 851,062 people reported domestic abuse to the police in the year ending March 2024, an estimated 2,3 million people actually suffered domestic abuse. Less than 40,000 perpetrators were convicted in the same year.[1] Meanwhile, inconsistencies and inaccuracies in data-collection mean that we don’t have reliable data on the full scale of domestic abuse and its impacts across England and Wales.
Lack of victim-survivor support
Siloed working across the criminal justice system fails survivors by missing opportunities to intervene and limiting their access to support. Survivors are far more likely to support a prosecution when they have access to specialist support and advocacy, which allows the system to bring perpetrators to justice more effectively. A Coordinated Community Response must be embedded in order to achieve a holistic response to domestic abuse, where the whole system works together to encompass prevention, early intervention, crisis intervention, and long-term recovery and safety. Domestic abuse services are critically underfunded, even though the value of specialist domestic abuse support to survivors is well-evidenced to save costs in the long-term.[2]
Low awareness of domestic abuse
The increase in reporting partly reflects an improved understanding and recognition of domestic abuse and its impacts. It is imperative that professionals across the criminal justice system such as police, prosecutors, the judiciary, and probation officers are comprehensively, consistently, and regularly trained in identifying and responding to all forms of domestic abuse. This includes being aware of the particular challenges and barriers to justice faced by minoritised communities, LGBT+ individuals, people living with disabilities, and in many cases, male survivors.
Accountability for perpetrators
The DAC Office asks that the Police Conduct Regulations are amended to ensure automatic suspension for any officer or staff charged with a crime related to domestic abuse or violence against women and girls, and automatic dismissal for any conviction of this nature. This is a crucial step to regain public trust in the police and ensure that domestic abuse cases are dealt with effectively. High-quality behavioural change programmes for perpetrators must be rolled out consistently across England and Wales.
What this means for employers - tips from EIDA
- Safety is imperative. Work with the affected employee to devise a safety plan and maintain ongoing communication with them, also during periods of absence such as holidays or parental leave. Victim-survivors know best how to keep themselves safe - be led by them in your response. A practical example could be having workplace security escort them to their car or giving them a work phone with a number unknown to the perpetrator.
- Support and signpost victim-survivors to specialist services. While there are many specialist domestic abuse services across the UK, both local and national, having a supportive employer that shows understanding and flexibility can also make a world of difference. Employers themselves are not expected to be experts, but you can signpost your people to the support they need. Please access the EIDA support service directory here.
- Safely record and store domestic abuse disclosures in a restricted access folder. This may be used as evidence in a criminal trial and/or police investigations. See our guide to the safe collection and storage of domestic abuse-related data here.
- Court processes can be long and place a great strain on affected employees and their colleagues. Signpost to specialist legal services and support them by showing flexibility where you can. Watch our short interview with family lawyer Georgina Hamblin for practical tips and guidance.
- Employers can play a crucial part in holding perpetrators to account. Most organisations will be employing both victim-survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse. Employers should set out their response to those who perpetrate domestic abuse in their domestic abuse policy (more guidance can be found here), and signpost to services such as the Respect helpline.
February 2025
