Ahead of England’s match against Uruguay this evening, The National Centre for Domestic Violence will be launching an advert featuring a woman nervously awaiting the end of a football match being watched by her partner in another room in the house before the TV is abruptly switched off. The advert is part of The National Centre for Domestic Violence’s current campaign to highlight statistics that showed a 25% increase in reported domestic violence cases after England’s matches in their unsuccessful 2010 tournament.
Yesterday, Kent Police reported an additional 21 incidents in their county on Saturday and Sunday compared with the previous weekend.
Whilst football doesn’t necessarily cause domestic abuse, the outcome of matches can certainly change individual’s moods and sometimes cause them to become violent.
Regardless of the causes of domestic violence, be it physical, psychological it is not acceptable and should not be endured. In many situations, the children are innocent bystanders and the effect on them can be traumatic and long term and in many instances, life changing.
Both criminal and civil remedies are available and in cases of serious assault and criminal damage the police should always be the first port of call. The police also have wide powers under the Harassment Act 1997 and take all reports very seriously. Criminal law is of course mainly concerned with punishing the perpetrator, civil law provides, under the Family Law Act 1996, a number of remedies to protect the victims of domestic abuse. In particular, civil injunctions may be obtained together with Occupation Orders, which have the effect of excluding the perpetrator from the family home.
At Howells, we understand how difficult it is for victims of domestic violence to break free of the cycle of abuse and make that first step to obtain help. We have a number of family law specialists who are ready to lend a sympathetic ear and provide expert advice and assistance.
Legal Aid is still available to victims of domestic violence and financial constraints are therefore no bar to obtaining a satisfactory remedy.
If you require help and assistance please contact Jayne Hunt, who is an Advanced Family Law Panel accredited Domestic Violence specialist at our Caerphilly Office on 02920 867111 or email Jayne.h@howellslegal.com.
by Tristan Lewis
