Although domestic abuse is chronically under reported, research estimates it:

•  accounts for 16% of all violent crime

•  will affect 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men in their lifetime

•  77% of victims of domestic abuse are women

•  has more repeat victims than any other crime (on average there will have been 35 assaults before a victim calls the police)

•  on average, two women are killed every week by a current or former male partner

•  one incident of domestic abuse is reported to the police every minute

(Source: Crime in England and Wales 2006/07 report)