Children and Young People

Children and the impact of domestic violence

 

Around one in twenty children is witness to frequent physical violence between parents.
[Cawson, P., Wattam, C., Brooker, S. and Kelly, G. (2000) Child Maltreatment in the United Kingdom: A study of the prevalence of abuse and neglect. NSPCC]

 

In 40% to 66% of domestic abuse cases, the same man is also directly abusing the children.
[Edelson, J.L (1999) 'The overlap between child maltreatment and woman battering'. Violence against Women 5, 5, 134-154.

 

100,000 children run away from home every year in the UK. Four out of five children who run away from home say they do so to escape family conflict, violence or abuse [The Children's Society, 1999]

 

The impact of domestic abuse on children is greater when the violence is combined with substance misuse, when children witness the abuse, are drawn into it, or feel they have to collude with concealing the abuse.
[Children's Needs - Parenting Capacity, Cleaver et al, 1999]

 

In relationships where there is domestic violence, children witness about three-quarters of the abusive incidents. About half the children in such families have themselves been badly hit or beaten. Sexual and emotional abuse are also more likely to happen in these families.
[Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2004]

 

At least 750,000 children a year witness domestic violence. Nearly three quarters of children on the 'at risk' register live in households where domestic violence occurs. [Department of Health, 2002]

 

Research into the needs of children affected by domestic violence found that their two primary needs are to be safe and to have someone to talk to.
[Mullender, A., Hague, G., Imam, U., Kelly, L., Malos, E. and Regan, L. (2002) Children's perspectives on domestic violence]

 

Teenage pregnancy

 

In 2004, nearly half of all teenage mothers were in the bottom fifth of income distributions. There are different minimum wage levels for young people. [YWCA website (www.ywca-gb.org.uk/]

 

In the UK, being pregnant is a high risk factor for the onset or escalation of domestic violence, no matter how old the mother is. 30% of domestic violence starts during pregnancy.
[Lewis, Gwynneth, Drife, James, et al. (2001) Why mothers die: Report from the confidential enquiries into maternal deaths in the UK 1997-9; commissioned by Department of Health from RCOG and NICE, London: RCOG Press].

 

Young women who are being or have been abused are 4 to 6 times more likely than their non-abused peers to become pregnant during their teenage years.
(Saewyc, E., Magee, L. and Pettingell, S. (2004) Teenage Pregnancy and Associated Risk Behaviors among Sexually Abused Adolescents, Perspectives in Sexual and Reproductive Health 36(3):98-105)

 

78% of adolescents experiencing domestic violence during the first 3 months after giving birth had not experienced domestic violence before delivery.
[Harrykisson, S. D., Rickert, V. I., & Wiemann, C. M. (2002). Prevalence and patterns of intimate partner violence among adolescent mothers during the postpartum period. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 156, 325-330]

 

Teenage mothers are more likely than older mothers to have experienced domestic abuse: 14% of teenagers interviewed by the Sure Start Plus national evaluation disclosed that they had experienced domestic abuse during their current pregnancy [Wiggins M, Rosato M, Austerberry H, Sawtell M & Oliver S (2005). National Evaluation of Sure Start Plus: Final Report. London: Social Science Research Unit Report, Institute of Education]

 

7 % of young mothers are reported to have become pregnant as a consequence of a partners' abusive and controlling behaviour.
[Wiggins, M.et al (2005), Teenage Parenthood and Social Exclusion: A Multi-method Study, Institute of Education, University of London, London]

 

Domestic violence is a feature in the lives of 70% of teenage pregnancies.
[Washington State Medical Association 2006]

 

Sexual abuse and exploitation
Girls and young women are almost twice as likely to be on the child protection register for sexual abuse as boys and young men.
[Coleman, J. and Dennison, C. (2000), Young people and gender: A review of research, Women and Equalities Unit Department of Trade and Industry: London]

 

A YouGov survey (2008) of 1400 14-17 year olds in the UK found that 27% of boys access pornography every week. 1 in 5 young people had been sent pornography via email or a mobile phone without their consent.

 

38% of young people have received a sexually explicit or distressing text or email (55% of these were sent via mobile phones) and 85% of these 'sexts' were sent by someone they knew.
[Beatbullying, 2009]

 

Teenage relationship abuse

 

Young people clearly state that they do not feel their views and wishes are taken seriously or acted on by professionals. Consequently, professional practice may not be responding to, or reflecting, young people's own concerns, fears and wishes regarding the impact of peer violence. A number of obstacles have been presented to explain this omission, including viewing behaviour as experimental, fear of stigmatisation, a mistaken view that peer abuse is less harmful than abuse by adults, the unawareness of adolescent abuse generally, and low reporting levels (Barter, C. (2009) In the Name of Love: Exploitation and violence in teenage dating relationships, British Journal of Social Work, 39, pp211-233.)

 

A recent NSPCC study found that girls report greater incidence rates on teen relationship abuse, more frequently and with more negative impacts on their welfare. However, figures showed alarming rates of abuse in relationships, affecting both girls and boys: 25% girls and 18% boys experienced physical abuse, 75% girls and 14% boys experienced emotional abuse and 1 in 3 girls and 16% boys experienced sexual abuse. [NSPCC, 2009]

 

Research has identified that teenage partner violence is associated with a
range of adverse outcomes for young people, including mental health, depression and suicide (Collin-Vézina, D., Hébert, M., Manseau, H., Blais, M. and Fernet, M. (2006) 'Self-concept and dating violence in 220 adolescent girls in the child protection system', Child Youth Care Forum, 35, pp. 319-326)

 

One survey showed that one in five teenage girls has been hit by a boyfriend, one third of teenage girls say that cheating justifies violence, and over 40% of all girls said they would consider giving a boy a second chance if he hit them.
[Sugar and NSPCC (2005) Teen abuse survey of Great Britain]

 

An online poll of 16-18 year olds found that 40% of girls had been coerced or pressured into sex, 42% of girls had been hit by boyfriends and 59% of young people felt they did not have enough information to advise their friends if they were experiencing abuse.
(Findings of an ICM poll for EVAW published in November 2006)

 

Nspcc findings: (Barter, C. et al (2009) Partner exploitation and violence in teenage intimate relationships: Nspcc)  


·    20% of girls and 10% of boys experienced domestic violence.
·    Young people with experience of family violence were more likely to have experienced a relationship, and more likely to have experienced one at an earlier age than young people with no history of family violence.

·    25% of girls and 18% of boys reported some form of physical partner violence.
·    76% of girls and 14% of boys stated that the physical violence had negatively impacted on their well-being
·    72% of girls and 51% of boys reported some form of emotional partner violence.
·    31% of girls and 16% of boys reported some form of sexual partner violence
·    70% of girls and 13% of boys stated that the sexual violence had negatively impacted on their welfare.
·    25% of girls and 8% of boys reported using physical partner violence.
·    44% of girls and 30% of boys stated they used physical violence in self-defence.
·    59% of girls and 50% of boys reported instigating emotional violence.
·    12% of boys and 3% of girls reported using some form of sexual violence.