DOMESTIC violence that was hidden during the pandemic is now being seen as support services locally have reported a 50 per cent increase in helping battered women.
Last year, 212 cases of domestic abuse were discussed at multiagency meetings for victims in Dumfries and Galloway – and 269 children were part of the affected households.
A report by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s chief social work officer, Stephen Morgan, laid bare the shock statistics.
He wrote: “Multiagency risk assessment conferences for high-risk victims of domestic abuse have continued to be delivered and are coordinated by staff from the public protection team.
“The meetings support access from across the region as well as the rest of the UK (in cases where domestic abuse victims relocate to Dumfries and Galloway).
“In the period 2023–2024 there were 12 meetings where 212 cases were discussed; 32 per cent of them were repeats (67 cases) and 269 children were part of the household.
“This was a significant (almost 50 per cent) increase in referrals from the previous year with increased numbers of agencies making referrals.”
At the council’s social work committee last week, Dee and Glenkens Councillor Andy McFarlane asked: “Do we understand why we’ve had that 50 per cent increase in referrals?”
Stephen Morgan responded: “The multiagency risk assessment conferences are exclusively for women who have been subject of violence almost exclusively from men, and where we’ve identified risk factors which need that multi-agency approach.
“The reason for the increase is quite simply an increase in violence towards women.
“Some of this was hidden in the pandemic. We didn’t have eyes with our multi-agency partners, it went unseen quite often. As society’s got back to what the new normal is, we’re seeing that violence.
“Women are coming forward and reporting the violence, and therefore there’s been a significant increase.
“It is an appalling increase, but the reason is largely down to some of the unseen harm that’s gone on during the pandemic – and then the additional pressures that society has faced in relation to poverty etc.”
“Those tend to be the reasons for the increase in domestic violence: alcoholism, drug usage, gambling as a means of escapism, and then violence from men towards women.”
