Domestic violence

Domestic abuse can involve a range of behaviours, some of which are criminal, all of which are unacceptable and none of which should be tolerated. As many as one in five women in Scotland, of all ages and backgrounds, will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives.

It is not caused by stress, unemployment, poverty, alcohol, mental illness or by the women who experience it. It is ongoing and usually escalates in severity and frequency over time, particularly when a woman attempts to leave or in some other way assert her identity.