The document discusses bystander intervention for domestic abuse. It defines domestic abuse and honor-based violence, including types like female genital mutilation and forced marriage. There are 4 stages necessary for intervention: notice the event, interpret it as a problem, feel responsible to act, and have the skills to act. Signs of abuse can be subtle, like controlling behavior, or overt physical violence. Victims may feel stigma, shame, or fear bringing further abuse. Leaving an abusive relationship can be very difficult for practical, emotional, and safety reasons. Bystanders should intervene safely if they suspect domestic abuse and never pressure victims on decisions.

1. Bystander intervention[1]
Online catch-up module

2. • To complete this module, read through the materials, then
complete the relevant quiz on Blackboard.
• In order to answer all of the questions on the quiz, you will
need to read through all of the information, including the
linked resources.
Welcome to the online module

3. Session 4:
Domestic abuse

5. By the end of this online catch-up session, you will be able to:
• Define domestic abuse, including ‘honour’ based violence, and
describe the impact and difficulties associated with it.
• Recognise problematic signs that may indicate that a relationship is
abusive.
• Intervene safely and appropriately in situations where domestic
abuse may be taking place.
Session objectives

7. Stages of intervention
Research shows that there are 4 stages that are necessary for intervention to
occur.
1. Notice the event
2. Interpret the event as a problem
3. Feel responsible for dealing with it
4. Possess the necessary skills to act.[2]
Non-intervention occurs when one or more of these stages is not present.

8. • Victims of domestic abuse need specialist support.
• As an active bystander, you should never influence
someone’s decisions about staying in, or leaving, an
abusive relationship.
Warning

9. • In order to notice situations in which domestic abuse may
be occurring, we first need to understand exactly what
constitutes domestic abuse, and some of the signs that
may be present when a relationship has become abusive.
Stage 1: Notice the event

11. Definitions according to UK Government
What is domestic abuse?
• Incident or pattern of controlling, coercive or threatening
behaviour.
• Victims are at least 16 years old.
• Perpetrators are, or have been, intimate partners or family
members of the victim.
• Regardless of gender or sexuality.

12. Types of domestic abuse:
• Psychological
• Physical
• Sexual
• Financial
• Emotional
Definitions according to UK Government

13. The definitions also include ‘Honour’ based violence:
• A collection of practices which are used to control behaviour within
families or communities in order to protect perceived cultural and
religious beliefs and/or honour.[3]
• This includes female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage.
‘Honour’ based violence

14. • There are often multiple perpetrators, either within the victim’s
family or community.
• The victim might be described by perpetrators as someone who
has committed an ‘honour crime’ through their behaviour.
• If perpetrators are within the family it means the victim’s home
is not a safe place for them.[4]
‘Honour’ based violence

15. Female genital mutilation (FGM):
• Procedures involving partial or total removal, or other injury to, the
female genital organs for non-medical reasons.[5]
• 60,0000 girls aged 0 – 14 years living in the UK are at risk (their
mothers have undergone FGM).[6]
• There were around 5,700 new cases reported from April 2015 – March
2016.[7]
• 170,000 women and girls are living with the consequences of FGM in
the UK.[8]
‘Honour’ based violence

16. Forced marriage:
• Differs from arranged marriage in that one or both parties is coerced
into the arrangement, rather than being consensually arranged.
• 40% of Forced Marriage cases in the UK involve victims aged 18-23.
• Non-compliance with forced marriage often leads to further abuse and
‘honour’ base violence.
• Cases rarely come to the attention of universities, meaning students
experiencing forced marriage may miss a critical chance of finding
support.[9]
‘Honour’ based violence

17. “I was in a violent relationship for 3 years and felt totally
alone; there is a stigma that violence happens only to people
of a certain demographic.”[10]
Student experience: Stigma

18. • Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, social background,
gender, religion, sexuality or ethnicity.
• It can happen in any relationship, between perpetrators and victims of any gender.
• Statistics show that the majority perpetrators of domestic violence are males, and
the majority of victims are females.
• This does not mean that most males will be perpetrators, or that most females will
be victims[11]
• 80% of transgender people have experienced domestic abuse. This is
considerably higher than for either cisgender (non-trans) men or women.[12]
The facts:

19. “All of the first four [1: pushed, slapped, shoved or had hair
pulled; 2: something thrown at you; 3: kicked, bitten, hit with
a fist; 4: choked, dragged, strangled or burnt] have
happened to me whilst living with my ex- boyfriend during
my 1st and 2nd year of uni, but I considered being choked
the most dangerous. He also threatened me.”[10]
Student experience: Physical violence

21. Here are some indicators that a relationship may have become
abusive. Some are fairly subtle while others are clearly not:
• Being stopped from seeing family and friends
• Having their movements monitored
• Having their phone and social media monitored
• Having their finances controlled
• Another one
Warning signs
• Being stopped from seeing family and
friends
• Having their movements monitored
• Having their phone and social media
monitored
• Having their finances controlled
• Being put down in public
• Being told what to wear or how to
behave
• “Walking on eggshells”
• Being coerced to have sex
• Being physically hurt

22. Read through the role play and think about the following questions:
• What are the signs that Ashley and Lucy’s relationship is abusive?
• What methods does Chris use to intervene?
• What do you think you would have done in Chris’ position? Do you think you
would have done anything differently?
• How does the gender of the victim affect the way we perceive signs of abuse?
Role play 1: Friend domestic abuse intervention 3

24. Remember: you should never attempt to influence
someone’s decision as to whether or not they should leave
an abusive relationship.
Role play 1: Friend domestic abuse intervention 1

25. Video: Hollyoaks “This is Abuse”

26. Video: Hollyoaks “This is Abuse”
• The clip from Hollyoaks is part of a government campaign
to raise awareness about domestic abuse.
• In the video we see many examples of abusive behaviour.
• Both boyfriends are showing a pattern of behaviour that
adds up to a clear picture of abuse.
• In reality, domestic abuse is not always this obvious.

27. “I have had to...re-evaluate my thoughts about domestic
violence in homosexual relationships. Although I am quite
clear in my mind about what is violence and abuse in
any…situation, I will admit that I failed to recognise the
mistreatment that I was subjected to in an objective
manner“[10]
Student experience: Recognising abuse in own
relationship

29. Online abuse
• The internet is becoming a more common feature in cases of abuse.
• Stalking now usually includes an online element, often using online
tools to support offline stalking.
• Ex-partners of the victim make up the largest group of stalking
perpetrators.[13]
• ‘Revenge porn’, sharing sexually explicit photos or videos of
someone without their consent, is now a criminal offence.[14]

31. • Since the age of 16, almost 30% of women and 17% of
men in England and Wales have experienced domestic
abuse.[15]
• On average, high-risk victims (those at imminent likely risk
of being murdered or seriously harmed) live with domestic
abuse for 2.3 years before getting help.[16]
The scale of the problem

32. [17]

33. • Male victims report difficulties dealing with the emotional impact of abuse: “You’re
used to not being open with your feelings. And it’s quite hard to communicate so
you tend to keep things to yourself and they you know sort of eat away at you a
bit so…”
• BME (Asian) women were anxious about reporting to support workers who were
also Asian for fear that confidentiality would be breached to the wider community.
Every victim’s experience is different[18]

34. • Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual victims report that their sexuality is used as part of abuse,
e.g. with threats to 'out' them.
• Transgender victims of sexual violence identified it as a hidden issue in the trans-
community, not talked about much, and was very unlikely to be reported.
• LGBT and BME individuals feared potential homophobic or racist reactions from
service providers.
Every victim’s experience is different[18]

36. Read through the role play and think about the following
questions:
• What are the signs that Joanne and Leanne’s relationship is abusive?
• What methods does Nicky use to intervene?
• What do you think you would have done in Nicky’ position? Do you
think you would have done anything differently?
• How does the gender of the perpetrator affect the way that we perceive
signs of abuse?
Role play 2: A friend is worried about domestic
abuse

38. Escalation
• Domestic violence is rarely a one-off.
• Incidents generally become more frequent and severe over
time.
• 96% of all victims considered to be at ‘high-risk for serious
harm or murder by MARAC (multi-agency risk assessment
conference) were women.

39. • It is not the case that if
someone has not left their
partner there is not a problem.
• It can be extremely difficult for
victims to leave an abusive
partner.
Why don’t they leave?

40. Reasons why it can be extremely difficult to leave an abusive partner:
• Fear of what their partner will do in response.
• Practical considerations (housing, money, children, language).
• Concern about bringing shame upon themselves or their family.
• Calling the police may feel like a betrayal to their community.
• Low self-esteem from long-term abuse.
• Shame and self-blame.
• Investment in the relationship and hope that the partner will change.
Why don’t they leave?

41. “I was in a violent relationship for 3 years and felt totally alone; there
is a stigma that violence happens only to people of a certain
demographic….When I spoke to my friends I always felt slightly judged,
the classic ‘you are clever, why didn’t you leave’. Only now have I
come to see that this was not my fault for being weak. I will never fully
recover from this.”
Student experience: being judged

42. • Victims of domestic abuse need specialist support, and you should
never tell someone to leave their partner or criticise them for
staying.
• Although you may want them to leave, they need to make that
decision in their own time.
• Research shows that victims abused by their partners are at most
risk at the point of separation and immediately after leaving them.[19]
‘I won’t judge you’

44. • Domestic violence and abuse are not problems that have
been solved.
• Increases in online abuse mean the problem is likely to get
worse.
• Domestic abuse takes place within all communities, and
can happen to anyone, including those we care about.
Stage 2: Interpret the event as a problem

46. [20]

47. Mental health impact of domestic violence[10, 21]
• Negative effect on studies
• Negative effect on
relationships with friends or
future partners
• Post-traumatic stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Panic attacks
• Feelings of isolation
• Loss of confidence
• Suicidal thoughts

48. We all have a responsibility to speak out
• Domestic violence is a crime which must not be ignored
• Perpetrators are protected by the silence of victims and
bystanders.
Stage 3: Feel responsible for dealing with it

50. Domestic violence affects us all
• By reaching out to a friend, you can help break their isolation so
they don’t have to suffer in silence.
• Victims of abuse often do not realise they are being abused.
• They need their friends more than ever, and you can help a friend
to recognise the signs as an active bystander
Stage 3: Feel responsible for dealing with it

52. Student experience: Needing help from friends
“Preconceptions of domestic violence are so deeply-rooted
that people think it doesn't happen in student relationships. It
also means that people generally have no idea how to handle
the situation. I can now forgive friends who didn't know where
to stand at the time, but educating students is vital if we wish
to fully support sufferers.”[22]

54. Read through the role play and think about the following questions:
• What are the signs that Melissa and Matt’s relationship is abusive?
• What methods does Sophie use to intervene?
• What would you have done in Sophie’s position? Would you have done
anything differently?
Remember: Never try to influence someone’s decision to leave or stay
in an abusive relationship. This could put them at greater risk of harm.
Role play 3: Friend domestic abuse intervention 2

55. Intervention in domestic abuse does not mean convincing someone to leave
their abusive partner or family. By offering support, we can signpost victims to
specialist support and help them feel safe if they do eventually decide to leave.

56. 1. Fenton, R. A., Mott, H. L., McCartan, K. and Rumney, P. (2014). The Intervention Initiative. Bristol: UWE and Public Health England. Online at www.uwe.ac.uk/bl/research/InterventionInitiative.
2. Adapted from Berkowitz, A. (2009) Response Ability: A Complete Guide to Bystander Intervention, Beck & Co.)
3. HMIC (2014). Everyone’s business: Improving the police response to domestic abuse. London, HMIC. ISBN: 978-1-78246-381-8 (p.36)
4. Jasminder Sanghera, Karma Nirvana, 2014
5. Definition from www.endfgm.eu/female-genital-mutilation/what-is-fgm/
6. Statistics from gov.uk leaflet, online at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/482799/6_1587_HO_MT_Updates_to_the_FGM_The_Facts_WEB.pdf
7. Statistics from http://content.digital.nhs.uk/article/7180/First-ever-annual-statistical-publication-for-FGM-shows-5700-newly-recorded-cases-during-2015-16
8. Statistics from https://plan-uk.org/about/our-work/fgm
9. Responses to Forced Marriage. London: LMU and FMU (p.12)
10. NUS (National Union of Students) (2011). Hidden Marks. Online at https://www.nus.org.uk/global/nus_hidden_marks_report_2nd_edition_web.pdf
11. Statistics from www.refuge.org.uk
12. Scottish Transgender Alliance (2010). Out of sight, out of mind? Transgender People’s Experiences of Domestic Abuse. Online at http://www.scottishtrans.org/wp-
content/uploads/2013/03/trans_domestic_abuse.pdf
References

57. 13. Womens Aid, Virtual World, Real Fear, 2014
14. Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 s.33
15. Chaplin et. (2011). Crinme in England and Wales. Online at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/116417/hosb1011.pdf
16. SafeLives (2015), Insights Idva National Dataset 2013-14. Bristol: SafeLives.
17. NSPCC research online at: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/partner-exploitation-violence-teenage-intimate-relationships-report.pdf
18. Hester, M., Williamson,E., Regan, L., Coulter, M., Chantler, K., Gangoli, G., Davenport, R., & Green, L., Exploring the service and support needs of male, lesbian, gay, bi-
sexual and transgendered and black and other minority ethnic victims of domesticand sexual violence, University of Bristol 2012
19. Statistics from http://www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk/
20. CSEW (Crime Survey for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics)
21. Adapted from Horley, S. (2001). Power & Control. London: Random House;
22. Article online at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2014/mar/07/domestic-violence-students-universities
References