The scheme led to a 30 per cent rise in the number of men charged with violence. Last year, Home Secretary Jack Straw opened the first court to deal specifically with domestic violence, in Leeds. According to the British Medical Association, only a quarter of all domestic incidents are reported to police and only 36 per cent of women seek outside help. Two women are killed every week by their partner or ex-partner. In 90 per cent of incidents, children are in the same or the next room.
Police estimate there are six million incidents of domestic violence in Britain every year.
Domestic violence accounts for the largest increase in violent crimes in the United Kingdom since 1981. One in four women suffers domestic violence at some time during their lives. Last year, more than 77,000 violent incidents were reported in London alone - one every six minutes. The support charity Refuge is contacted by 260,000 women every year. A quarter of all reported violent crime is domestic.