“I didn’t even hit her”: Tackling domestic abuse lies In prevention rather than cure
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
With domestic abuse cases continuing to rise, one leading charity executive has called for more to be done to push perpetrators toward intervention programmes that could hold the key to tackling the UK’s domestic abuse problem.
Recorded cases of domestic abuse have been rising since 2019 across the country. A recent batch of Freedom Of Information requests from 29 police forces across the UK revealed that cases are now almost 20% higher than five years ago, demonstrating the scale of the problem now facing the UK’s law enforcement agencies.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThis rise comes alongside a disturbing increase in the number of cases that result in no police action being taken.

The problem has also been brought into sharper focus by a new documentary from ITV that focuses on Her Majesty The Queen and her ongoing mission to shine a spotlight on domestic abuse in the UK.
Michelle Hill, Chief Executive Officer for TLC: Talk, Listen, Change, one of the charities that worked on the documentary, has spoken on the importance of including perpetrators in the conversation about how to tackle incidents of domestic abuse.
“Having such a powerful figure raising the issue of domestic abuse is amazing,” said Michelle. “You cannot understate the importance of Camilla’s support for victims and her drive to raise the awareness of how prevalent domestic abuse actually is.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“If we truly want to tackle the problem though, we have to look at what we can do from a perpetrators perspective as well as providing wider support to the victims. We need to be identifying the reasons why the abuse is occurring, and working with the abusers to prevent them from continuing the cycle of abuse rather than just coming in at the end to deal with the aftermath.”
The evidence that perpetrator programmes play a vital role in tackling domestic abuse is clear to see.
In a recent report commissioned through the Home Office it was revealed that Domestic Abuse incidents decreased by 80% for those that took part in the TLC: Talk, Listen, Change Bridging to Change programme versus just 30% for those that didn't.
Domestic Abuse crimes also reduced, with a 79% decrease for those involved in the programme compared to a drop of just 27% for non-participants.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPerpetrators themselves also reported positive benefits, with 78% reporting that their emotional abuse had decreased, 65% that their physical abuse had decreased and 80% that psychological abuse had decreased.
The study also conducted an empathy questionnaire which found that there had been an increase in empathy for 56% of perpetrators.
“The fact is that perpetrator intervention programmes work,” Michelle continued. “You cannot solve a problem unless you address the cause, which is what these programmes do. They work on the basis that prevention is always better than cure, and the ideal scenario for us is that we would see a world where we stop domestic abuse cycles at source.
“If you can’t identify the root causes, the problems compound themselves; in a family setting, they pass on the trauma to children, potentially setting up further cycles of abuse in the future.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“It is no understatement to say that the fight against domestic abuse is quite literally a matter of life and death. We need to lean on every resource, utilise every approach and make sure that we do everything we possibly can to prevent domestic abuse, including understanding the importance of working with the perpetrators as well as supporting the victims.”