Domestic abuse it not limited to physical assault and injury but also includes mental and emotional abuse, financial abuse and exploitation and sexual abuse including rape. Overwhelmingly domestic abuse is experienced by women and perpetrated by men that they know. Domestic abuse can and does happen in same sex relationships and it is also acknowledged that men can experience domestic abuse.
In 2008 there were 10,882 domestic abuse incidents recorded in Glasgow by the Police costing Glasgow's public services an estimated £30.9 million (Glasgow Community Safety Partnership, 2009)
Women experiencing domestic abuse are on average assaulted 35 times before contacting police and approach on average 11 services seeking support to deal with the abuse (Glasgow Community Safety Partnership, 2009)
1 in 4 women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime (Women's Aid)
On average, 2 women a week are killed by a current or former male partner (Women's Aid)
40% of all homeless women stated that domestic violence contributed to their homelessness (Uncovering Women's Inequality in the UK: Statistics, Women's Resource Centre, April 2007)