That alarming figure was just one of a number of results which came from a survey taken earlier this year. The survey also found that in total there were 25 reports of domestic violence across South Gloucestershire – 22 women and three men – and three of the victims were pregnant at the time.
The results are being issued as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Week, which started on Monday 20 November. To mark the week a conference took place yesterday, with delegates from a number of different organisations across South Gloucestershire meeting to look at ways of tackling the problem of domestic violence.
Pauline Hawker-Bond, head of communities for South Gloucestershire Council and deputy chair of the South Gloucestershire Domestic Violence Forum, said: "The conference provided an opportunity to illustrate the positive efforts made in South Gloucestershire by the many organisations already committed to tackling domestic violence and supporting victims.
"We hope it has raised awareness of existing and forthcoming initiatives such as the Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC), among a wider breadth of agencies and to secure their commitment, input and support to our joint work. All delegates were invited to contribute towards a review of South Gloucestershire’s Domestic Violence Strategy and to sign up their support for its implementation in 2007-2010."
The conference, which was entitled ‘Domestic Violence: Everyone’s Business’, took place at Bradley Stoke Community School and involved representatives from the council, councillors, the primary care trust, Avon & Somerset Police and organisations such as Survive.
Keynote speeches included ‘the voice of a survivor’ and were delivered by senior figures from the Local Government Association, Department of Health, Womens Aid Federation England, and Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
Below are the details of the 24-hour ‘snapshot’, taken on October 19, 2006:
• 25 reports (22 women and three men)
• Three of the victims were pregnant and 18 had children
• 80 per cent were experiencing emotional abuse including humiliation, harassment and threats
• 32 per cent were experiencing financial abuse including withholding money and running up debts
• 76 per cent were experiencing physical abuse including burning, biting, and being hit
• 12 per cent were experiencing sexual abuse, mainly rape
• 48 per cent had been experiencing domestic violence for over one year
• In one case both the victim and perpetrator were male
• Two cases involved females perpetrating violence against men
• 22 cases involved men perpetrating violence against women
• In four cases it was known that the perpetrator was also violent towards other people
• The average time spent working with/on behalf of the client during the snapshot was one hour and 15 minutes
At the conference, organisers will also be presenting the first Ann Wood award for an outstanding contribution to tackling domestic violence in South Gloucestershire. The award will be given to DC Jacqueline Macfarlane, from the Domestic Abuse Investigation Team (DAIT) and was presented to her by DCI Dave Gill of Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Dawn Taylor, chief executive of Survive.
Ann was a community health visitor at Cadbury Heath who died earlier this year and was a huge supporter and leading light on the domestic violence agenda in South Gloucestershire.
DCI Dave Gill said: "Jackie joined the DAIT in April 2005 and since her arrival she has been a steadfast member of the team, committed to providing a professional and caring approach to victims and making every effort to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice. As an experienced detective she has supported and advised her colleagues in order to improve service delivery and drive home the message that domestic abuse is a serious crime and should be investigated as such."
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