Q109: I am frightened of my violent partner, what can I do?

‘Domestic abuse’ is the ‘abusive’ behaviour of a person (who is aged 16 or over) towards another person (who is aged 16 or over) and these persons are ‘personally connected’.  Personally connected means that the persons –

(a) are, or have been, married to each other;
(b) are, or have been, civil partners of each other;
(c) have agreed to marry one another (whether or not the agreement has been terminated);
(d) have entered into a civil partnership agreement (whether or not the agreement has been terminated);
(e) they are, or have been, in an intimate personal relationship with each other;
(f) they each have, or there has been a time when they each have had, a parental relationship in relation to the same child (see subsection (2));
(g) they are relatives – 

(i) the father, mother, stepfather, stepmother, son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, grandmother, grandfather, grandson or granddaughter of that person or of that person's spouse, former spouse, civil partner or former civil partner, or 
(ii) the brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew or first cousin (whether of the full blood or of the half blood or by marriage or civil partnership) of that person or of that person's spouse, former spouse, civil partner or former civil partner; and

includes, in relation to a person who is cohabiting or has cohabited with another person, any person who would fall within paragraph (i) or (ii) if the parties were married to each other or were civil partners of each other.

Abusive behaviour is any of the following - 

(a) physical or sexual abuse;
(b) violent or threatening behaviour;
(c) controlling or coercive behaviour; 
(d) economic abuse;
(e) psychological, emotional or other abuse;

Domestic abuse can impact on a child who sees or hears or experiences the effects of the abuse of the victim by the abuser and as such can also seek help.  

Domestic abuse can occur amongst people of all ethnic backgrounds, sexualities, ages, disabilities, immigration status, religions or beliefs, and socio-economic backgrounds. 

Most incidents of domestic abuse will be a criminal offence which may be reported to your local police force by telephoning 101 or by online reporting.  In an emergency dial 999.

Please see the links in Related Information for organisations that offer advice and support. 

You can make a report to your local police who have specially trained officers who can offer help and support. You should report any assaults or acts of violence to the police so that action can be taken against your partner. The police have a responsibility to take positive action in reports of domestic violence.

The police are aware that speaking out about domestic violence can be very frightening, they will do their utmost to ensure that they provide all the help and support you require from the initial report through to any possible court proceedings.

For further help and information please see links to websites in Related Information.

Some other useful contact numbers are -

• Womens' Aid National Domestic Violence Helpline. Telephone: 0808 2000 247
• Refuge. Telephone: 0808 2000 247 (Refuge)
• Wales Domestic Abuse Helpline. Telephone: 0808 80 10 800 (Welsh Women's Aid)
• ManKind Initiative. Telephone: 01823 334 244 (ManKind)
• National Centre for Domestic Violence. Telephone: 0207 186 8270 (NCDV)

If you have been assaulted and want to report it to the police, even if you do not have any visible injuries, you should contact your local police force and report the incident.

If your partner or ex-partner has assaulted you, and you are 16 and over, this will be treated as a report of domestic violence; the police have a responsibility to take positive action to reports of domestic violence.

For more information and support, please see questions Q108, Q109 and Related Information.