As domestic abuse response workers, we sometimes meet survivors following them reporting abuse to the police’Often this can be their first time disclosing digital abuse. The first response survivors receive from workers like you, workers like us, is significant. It can shape their experience of feeling safe, believed and supported. 

Ensure the following:

• Environment – calm, safe and private. 

Provide a private, calm and safe space for survivors to disclose, ensuring their safety first. Check the environment – make sure the space is safe from the possibility of eavesdropping, and away from anyone who may be listening or might impact on the disclosure being made. Some cases of stalking have involved listening devices and if the victim is disclosing in the house to police, the perpetrator could find out via a device/camera/Ring doorbell. This could lead them to subject the victim to more abuse, and/or to remove / tamper with devices whic a court case may depend on. Avoid overwhelming with complex questions. The first disclosure is an opportunity to build trust and rebuild a sense of control for survivors. 

• Validate and Empower

Acknowledge their courage and validate – digital abuse can leave people feeling vulnerable, and exposed. Our role is to listen, not instruct – avoid saying things such as “you should”, “you need to do”. Reassure survivors that they are in control. Avoid minimising digital abuse – it is real, purposeful and intentional. 

• Safety Plan

Construct a safety plan around the survivor experience. Avoid technical fixes – changing passwords, deleting content may alert abusers and put the survivor at further risk. Explore the risks. Have they been threatened with image distribution? Is their location monitored? Is their device monitored? Were they asked to download any apps?

• Provide safe signposting for ongoing support 

National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247

Refuge Tech Abuse Support – Online and digital abuse – Women’s Aid

If at immediate risk, call 999 – press 55 if you cannot speak 

Refer to local IDVA service – with consent

• Close with reassurance 

Re-iterate that they are believed, reassure that ongoing support is available and that they are not alone. “You’ve done the right thing by reaching out. You are not alone and we’ll work through this safely together”.

• Self-care

Hearing first disclosures in relation to digital abuse can be heavy. Debrief with colleagues and engage with clinical supervision to ensure your own wellbeing. 

Each first disclosure is a turning point. Your calm, empowering response can help rebuild trust and safety in real world and digital spaces.

#16days #NoExcuse and #ACTtoEndViolence

This year, the theme for the 16 Days of Activism to end Gender-Based Violence is ‘UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls’. The 16 days runs from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on the 25th November, to Human Rights Day on the 10th December. 

Throughout the 16 Days, we’re sharing information and insights around our work and digital violence. Today. We’re sharing a case study from our work. 

AA and the AP were together for nearly two years. The relationship was controlling from the outset, and AA noticed some concerning behaviours. The domestic abuse was prevalent, and AA broke up with the AP when the AP physically assaulted her. 

A short time after the relationship ended, AA began to realise that the AP just couldn’t let this go and he started to display controlling abusive behaviour through alternative means, and this was online.

Over the following weeks AA’s social media accounts were accessed and the AP went on to send AA messages of a violent and concerning nature and call her relentlessly, often daily. AA stated that the messages would sometimes be delivered within less than a minute from each other. 

AA reported it to the police, and the police took the AP’s phone for investigation purposes. The AP was arrested and subsequently bailed, with conditions in place for the AP not to contact AA directly or indirectly and not to go into the area where AA lived. So far, since the imposition of the bail conditions, unfortunately there have been reported breaches. 

A recent example of a breach that really concerned AA was that she went on to her TikTok account, and it appeared that the AP’s nephew had liked her video, unliked it and had been on her profile. However, this was an account he would never have known about as he didn’t follow AA or know it existed, as any accounts AA had on social media were blocked. 

AA took screenshots and screen recorded her concerns. She recognised that the AP’s nephew is young, and this made her think that he would not have searched and found her account off her own back alone. It unsettled AA, and she now questions everything she does. 

Whatever conditions are imposed, this doesn’t necessarily take away the fear, and there are always ways that an AP can digitally be abusive and stalk a victim.

If you are being subjected to digital abuse, help is available.

The Cyber Helpline is a free, confidential helpline for anyone who has been a victim of cybercrime. They help individuals contain, recover, and learn from cyber attacks by linking them with cyber security experts who provide relevant advice and guidance. Their chatbot and team of volunteer cyber security experts will talk in a language that you understand and are able to advise you in all cyber security scenarios.

The Revenge Porn Helpline provides information and help one on getting online images removed.

If you are in the Thames Valley, or are in or have a link to the Armed Forces we can help. 

Thames Valley

• stalking.thamesvalley@aurorand.org.uk
•  02392 479254 open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

Armed Forces Helpline: 

• Helpline & WhatsApp: +44 (0)333 0912 527
• Helpline hours (GMT): 0900-1500 Monday to Friday
• WhatsApp chat (GMT): Tuesday 0900-1500 / Wednesday & Thursday 1700-2000 / Sunday 1000-1400

Elsewhere in the UK, you can contact the National Stalking Helpline and the Revenge Porn Helpline

#16days #NoExcuse and #ACTtoEndViolence

Between September 2024 and September 2025, we supported survivors in 364 stalking cases.

268 of these (74%) included stalking with a cyber element.

Stalking is a crime.

Are you worried you may be experiencing stalking?

Find out about our support here.

#16Days #NoExcuse

Today, November 26th, is Economic Abuse Day.

As technology continues to evolve, so too do the methods perpetrators use to exploit and control their victims. One of the most powerful forms of manipulation is economic abuse, where an abuser exerts control by restricting or exploiting a victim’s financial resources. This form of abuse can trap victims in dangerous relationships, leaving them without assets, financial independence, or a safe place to go.

Examples of economic abuse include:

• Taking out credit cards or loans in the victim’s name without consent.
• Accessing and monitoring bank accounts, scrutinising every transaction.
• Signing the victim up for charities or services using their bank details.
• Using the victim’s money to fund the perpetrator’s purchases.
• Refusing to contribute to joint financial responsibilities, such as a mortgage, and preventing the sale of shared property.

Economic abuse can have long-lasting consequences, often persisting for years – even decades – after a survivor has left the abusive environment. In many cases, perpetrators continue to financially abuse their victims despite having no direct contact. This ongoing control can severely impact a survivor’s future, as debts accrued in their name can prevent them from accessing credit, securing loans, or obtaining a mortgage. 

According to BBC (2024), many survivors had signed joint mortgages with their abusers prior to the onset of the abuse, once the perpetrator left the property, their name often remained on the mortgage, this situation means survivors require the perpetrator’s consent to sell the property, also highlighting that perpetrators frequently refuse to contribute to the mortgage, leaving survivors to carry the financial burden alone—often in silence. (‘My abuser used our joint mortgage against me’ – BBC News)

A study conducted by Surviving Economic Abuse and Ipsos UK in November 2024 revealed the widespread impact of economic abuse on women across the UK. The findings showed that 2.4 million women experienced economically restrictive behaviours from their perpetrators.

 Furthermore, 940,000 women reported remaining in abusive relationships as a direct result of economic abuse, highlighting how financial control can trap victims and limit their ability to leave. In total, 4.1 million women disclosed experiencing economic abuse between 2023 and 2024. (Almost one million UK women who experienced economic abuse said the abuse prevented them from leaving an abusive partner | Ipsos)

Home Office Minister Jess Phillips has said,‘’Tackling economic abuse – a true hidden crime – will be integral to achieving our ambition of halving violence against women and girls in a decade.’’ We look forward to more progress in this area.

#16days #NoExcuse and #ACTtoEndViolence.

From the 3rd to 7th November 2025, it’s Trustees Week and we want to celebrate the amazing contribution made by our Trustees to Aurora New Dawn. The time, commitment, and effort these fantastic people bring to our work is invaluable – we’re delighted to introduce you to some of them through this week.

First up, meet Commander Chris Hillard a Royal Navy Commissioned Officer specialising in Air Engineering

Chris has spent the majority of his 20 year career working in the joint front line operational space supporting aviation output in all environments and is currently attending the Advanced Command and Staff Course at the UK Defence Academy at Shrivenham.

What inspired you to become a Trustee for Aurora?

I was inspired to become a Trustee for Aurora for several reasons.

Firstly, as a survivor of domestic abuse I am wholly grateful to the numerous charities within the UK for what they do to both support survivors but also raise awareness of this subject.

Secondly, given Aurora is a military facing charity, I believe it is crucial for members of the UK Armed Forces to receive necessary support from a team who wholly understand what the military does, given their close ties with Defence. This means that when I work with them, there is already a major connection and empathy and understanding for what the Armed Forces do, how we operate, how we may be more at risk, and how they can support us.

Thirdly, having visited Aurora and seen the work they do I am amazed at the significant positive impact they can make with often very limited resource, but what they certainly don’t lack is enthusiasm, passion, dedication, and the desire to stand alongside those who have suffered, and these are values I wholly believe in

What’s something you’ve learned since being on the board?

Since becoming a Trustee, I have had my eyes opened wide to the sheer breadth of work that the Aurora team do. A charity must be successful across multiple domains whilst remaining wholly professional and accountable to those people it supports and the wider public.

Having personally experienced some of the administrative tasks such as Domestic Homicide Reviews that are conducted by charities like Aurora, I have a better understanding of the time and complexity it takes to complete this vital activity, but this is just a small fraction of what the charity does. I am therefore amazed by the sheer amount of output a charity such as Aurora can achieve, despite the challenges of funding and resource.

What this amazing team can deliver given their size is incredible, and offers a very humbling and inspiring experience to me.

A Foreword on Serial and Priority Perpetrators

In 2016, our Operations Manager, Zoë, completed her MSc in Criminology and Criminal Psychology. Her dissertation focused on the identification and management of serial perpetrators of domestic abuse in England and Wales. She won the Sage award for Best Masters Dissertation.

In the post below, Zoe shares some extracts from that dissertation, and her thoughts on the ways in which our approach to these offenders needs to improve.

What is a Serial perpetrator?

For clarity: The term ‘Serial perpetrators’ is usually used to refer to individuals who have used or threatened violence or abuse against two or more victims who are unconnected to each other (ACPO, 2009). Many commentators have argued that focusing solely on targeting these perpetrators (i.e. those who have more than one victim) might mean we ‘miss’ other areas of potential risk.

What is a Priority Perpetrator?

The term ‘Priority Perpetrators’ addresses this potential risk by encompassing serial perpetrators alongside those who repeatedly offend against the same partner, and also those engaged in high-risk abusive behaviours, regardless of the number of victims involved.

Tragedy? Or a Systematic Failure? Serial and priority perpetrators

In early 2018, there was extensive media coverage and widespread outrage surrounding the trial of Theodore Johnson, a man who pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-partner. What made this case so utterly shocking is that this was the third partner or ex-partner he has killed: the first was in 1981.

Shortly afterwards, The Guardian asked: “Is this a uniquely tragic triple crime, or a systematic failure to take domestic violence seriously?”

It is tragic, absolutely. But unfortunately, it is by no means ‘unique’.

Numerous examples

On 2^nd January 2012, the body of Claire O’Connor was discovered in the boot of her own car. Claire had died from blunt force trauma to her neck (McAteer, 2015, p. 10). In 2013, Aaron Mann – Claire’s ex-partner – was jailed for her murder (Dimmer, 2015). Mann had two known partners before Claire, with both relationships characterised by domestic abuse (McAteer, 2015, p. 12). He had numerous domestic abuse-related convictions and arrests against his name (McAteer, 2015, p. 14), along with several other incidents involving previous partners of which agencies were aware, but no official reports were made (McAteer, 2015, p.14). After identifying a number of failings in both risk assessment and risk management prior to Claire’s murder, the Domestic Homicide Review into Claire’s death posed the question:

“How are known perpetrators identified and how are the risks that they pose to others assessed? For example, an initial incident may not be serious, but if it is perpetrated by someone known to present high risks to partners, how can this be factored in and influence the overall risk assessment and risk management plan?”

(McAteer, 2015, p.76)

Two years later, on the 18^th February 2014, Hollie Gazzard was murdered by her ex-partner, Asher Maslin, at the age of just 20.  Hollie was stabbed 14 times in the neck, chest and torso, inside the hair salon in which she worked, in front of her colleagues, dying two hours later in hospital. Maslin, himself only 22 at the time of the murder, had a significant criminal history including violence in a non-domestic setting (Warren, 2015, p.19). His domestic abuse history was equally extensive, including a total of 24 violent incidents against 4 different individuals, 3 of whom were ex-partners (one being Hollie) and one of whom was his mother (Warren, 2015, p. 29). In the review into Hollie’s death, Warren (2015), observed:

“Paul [the review panel’s pseudonym for Maslin] had a long history of violence towards women…the review panel therefore concludes that if all the evidence had been known to any one agency, it would have been predictable that Paul would at some stage critically injure or kill someone”

(Warren, 2015, p. 43)

A History of Serial Abuse

Multiple other Domestic Homicide reviews (hereafter DHRs) continue to tell similar stories, highlighting a failure to both recognise, and manage, the risks posed by individuals with significant histories of serial and high-risk domestic abuse offending (See: South and Vale Community Safety Partnership [SVCSP] & Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board [OSCB], 2016; Ashman, 2014a, 2014b; Davis, 2016; Lundberg, 2014).

Theodore Johnson’s case is shocking, but it is not unsurprising to those working in the Violence and Abuse sector: this has long been an area of public protection work that requires urgent attention. Studies have demonstrated that up to 18% of domestic abuse perpetrators who re-offend do so against a different partner (Hester & Westmarland, 2006), and ACPO (2009) have estimated that there may be as many as 25,000 serial perpetrators of domestic abuse in contact with police at any one time in the UK. Research clearly demonstrates that without effective intervention, perpetrators of domestic abuse are likely to continue their behaviour (Hester & Westmarland, 2006, p.35; Sonkin, 1987 cited in Richards, Letchford & Stratton, 2008, p. 129) and, further, that abuse tends to escalate in both frequency and severity as it is repeated (Richards, Letchford & Stratton, 2008, p. 128).

Calls for Change

As such, calls for a more proactive response to these serial/priority perpetrators are not new. As early as 2004, Richards warned that prolific and serial domestic abuse offenders were, literally, ‘Getting Away With It’. In 2009, referencing Richards’ work, The Association of Chief Police Officers [ACPO] published their report ‘Tackling Perpetrators of Violence Against Women and Girls’. This report presented a number of recommendations to ensure the “wider recognition, and improved management, of serial perpetrators of violence against women and girls”, including that a register and tracking system be introduced in order to improve both the identification and management of these individuals (ACPO, 2009, pp. 29-34).

5 years later, however, and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary [HMIC] still noted that “most forces do not have a systematic approach to targeting repeat or prolific perpetrators of domestic abuse” (HMIC, 2014a, p. 106). Even when reviewing this position in the light of the 43 resulting force action plans, they concluded: “…these plans showed there is a lack of consistency around the management of serial perpetrators” (HMIC, 2015a, p. 96), and further, “very few forces include domestic abuse perpetrators in their Integrated Offender Management (IOM) process” (HMIC, 2015a, p. 96).

My Dissertation’s Findings

My own dissertation research, undertaken in 2016, reached similar conclusions. Through the use of requests to each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I found that provision for both the identification and management of serial perpetrators of domestic remains inconsistent across England and Wales.

In England, for example, less than half of the police forces reported a clear process for both the identification and management of serial perpetrators. Just over a third (33%/n=13) detailed systems which, although not a total lack of provision, appeared to fall short of a process which would enable them to clearly and consistently identify serial perpetrators and to manage them as routine, whether alone or within a wider cohort of priority/high-risk domestic abuse offenders. 6 force areas in England reported having no identification or management processes in place, representing 15.4% of English forces without the ability to identify, monitor or manage serial perpetrators. Further, those forces with clear processes in place appear to be approaching the issue differently across different areas, with various combinations of approaches/projects and no one model appearing to directly mirror another.

In addition, only a small number of forces (Essex, Hampshire, North Yorkshire, and Northumbria) made specific reference to taking a multi-agency approach to this area of work or to making use of intelligence from partner agencies in their assessments of risk. This was particularly surprising given that multi-agency working is recognised as best practice nationally in terms of the response to domestic abuse (Home Office, 2014; Tapley, 2010). This failure to work collaboratively is at odds with the learning from multiple DHRs, which emphasise the importance of multi-agency working and information-sharing in this area (see, for example: Ashman, 2014b, p. 47; Home Office, 2013a; McAteer, 2015, p.73; SVCSP & OSCB, 2016, p. 45, 61). It also – crucially – fails to acknowledge that not all domestic abuse incidents are reported to the police.

Current Response to Serial Perpetrators

We are, however, beginning to see emerging pockets of good practice. The approach in Hampshire, for example, includes both direct work with offenders and a single point of contact (SPOC) service to assess, monitor and track serial perpetrators (Hampton Trust, 2016). Importantly, this response has been built around both multi-agency working, and cross-agency information-sharing, between the Domestic Abuse Prevention Partnership (DAPP), the police Offender Management HUB, and other key local agencies, including frontline domestic abuse services (Hampshire Constabulary, 2016b). Aurora New Dawn is proud to be a part of DAPP, and to work alongside both The Hampton Trust and Baseline Consultancy in pushing forward the response to serial/priority perpetrators in the County.

Another example of co-ordinated work in this area is the DRIVE project, currently being run by Safelives across two pilot sites, and designed to “challenge the behaviour of perpetrators, and co-ordinate the response they receive across all agencies.” (Safelives, 2016). DRIVE targets serial and repeat perpetrators, providing a one-to-one intervention with the aim of promoting long-term behavioural change (Safelives, 2016). Whilst the two approaches are different in design, the DRIVE project, like the Hampshire response, is quite clearly committed to “a multi-agency response to domestic abuse with partner agencies” and “sharing information, both within and between agencies about people at risk of experiencing or perpetrating domestic violence and abuse.” (Safelives & Social Finance, 2015, pp. 5-6)

How to tackle Serial Perpetrators

Despite these pockets of localised good practice, the fact remains that there is currently no formalised legal framework or national process by which serial perpetrators are routinely identified, monitored and managed in England and Wales. It is this that needs to change, and urgently. A co-ordinated approach is required – mandated at a national level, and robustly led locally – which focuses on placing responsibility on serial/priority perpetrators for their behaviour and, crucially,  on disrupting their offending. In order to do this, we need clear national guidelines, borne from the sharing of best practice and examples of models that demonstrate ‘what works’ in terms of effective identification and management.

I would go further, however, and argue that one of the key ways in which we can make strides in this area is through the creation of a register for serial perpetrators, operating along similar lines to the sex offenders register. Both ACPO (2009) and Paladin (2014) have proposed this response, and calls for implementation continue to grow, with a petition to this effect amassing 135,000 signatures to date. Whilst a register is not a solution in itself, it absolutely offers the potential to drive forward a cultural shift, a sense of national consistency, and a more proactive policing response to those who pose the highest risk of harm (Paladin, 2014, no pagination).

Ultimately, when we are looking to keep victims safe, this is not an ‘either/or’ situation. The proactive targeting of priority perpetrators must be included in work to tackle domestic abuse, and it is crucial that this forms part of a collaborative response alongside specialist, well-resourced victim services.

In short, our response to this cohort of dangerous offenders must be substantially improved if we are to have the chance of reducing both the costs – and the impact – of domestic abuse over the coming years:

“Tracking, responding to and dealing with serial perpetrators is less well developed as a method of protecting victims. This is just starting to change but the circumstances of this review underline the need for it. The learning from this review stems almost entirely from the knowledge of events and interventions in the perpetrator’s 2 previous relationships. This is fitting as it contributes to a growing body of knowledge that suggests tracking and management of serial perpetrators has a significant role in protecting future potential victims.” – Domestic Homicide Review into the death of ‘Ms Z’ (Ashman, 2014a, p. 5)

Aurora’s Position on Serial Perpetrators

We at Aurora believe it is imperative to tackle the continued serial abuse of perpetrators in order to better protect victims and survivors. By continuously putting the onus on the victim, perpetrators continue to abuse multiple victims, their abuse escalates and the endpoint for many of their victims is death. This is about murder prevention.

You can sign the petition for a register of serial stalkers and domestic abuse perpetrators here.

REFERENCES

Ashman, J. (2014a). Domestic homicide review 001 (Executive Summary). Retrieved from the Lambeth Council website: www.lambeth.gov.uk

Ashman, J. (2014b). Domestic Homicide Review 001 (Overview Report). Retrieved from the Lambeth Council website: www.lambeth.gov.uk

Association of Chief Police Officers [ACPO]. (2009). Tackling perpetrators of violence against women & girls: ACPO review for the Home Secretary. Retrieved from the ACPO website: www.acpo.police.uk

Davis, M. (2016). Child D: A serious case review overview report. Sutton Local Safeguarding Children Board. Retrieved from: http://www.suttonlscb.org.uk/seriouscasereviews.php

Dimmer, S. (2015, May 14). Nuneaton mum killed by violent ex-partner felt police were ‘powerless’ to stop him. Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved from: http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/nuneaton-mum-killed-violent-ex-partner-9255367

Hampton Trust. (2016). DAPP: Domestic Abuse Prevention Partnership. Retrieved from https://www.hamptontrust.org.uk/our-programmes/dapp/.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary [HMIC]. (2014a). Everyone’s business: improving the police response to domestic abuse. Retrieved from www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary [HMIC]. (2015a). Increasingly everyone’s business: improving the police response to domestic abuse. Retrieved from www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk

Hester, M. & Westmarland, N. (2006). Domestic violence perpetrators. Criminal Justice Matters, 66(1), 34-35. DOI: 10.1080/09627250608553400.

Hester, M., Westmarland, N., Gangoli, G., Wilkinson, M., O’Kelly, C., Kent. A., & Diamond, D. (2006). Domestic violence perpetrators: identifying needs to inform early intervention. Bristol: University of Bristol in association with the Northern Rock Foundation and the Home Office. Retrieved from www.nr-foundation.org.uk

Lundberg, B. (2014). Domestic Homicide Review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004. In respect of the death of a woman B-DHR2012/13-04. Birmingham Community Safety Partnership. Retrieved from the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership website: http://birminghamcsp.org.uk/admin/resources/bdhr-2012-13-04-final-published.pdf

McAteer, K. (2015). Domestic Homicide Review overview report (DHR NB01). Report into the death of a domestic homicide victim on 2^nd January 2012. Nuneaton & Bedworth Community Safety Partnership. Retrieved from: https://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/api/documents/WCCC-671-68

Richards, L. (2004). Getting away with it: a strategic overview of domestic violence sexual assault and ‘serious’ incident analysis. London: Metropolitan Police. Retrieved from http://www.dashriskchecklist.co.uk

Richards, L., Letchford, S., & Stratton, S. (2008). Policing Domestic Violence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Safelives. (2016, February 17). New Project to hold perpetrators of domestic abuse to account. Retrieved from http://www.caada.org.uk/drive

South and Vale Community Safety Partnership & Oxfordshire Safeguarding Childrens Board. (2016). Child J – Domestic Homicide Review and Serious Case Review (combined). Report into the death of child J aged 17. Retrieved from www.oscb.org.uk

Tapley, J. (2010) Working together to tackle domestic violence. In A. Pycroft & D. Gough (Eds.) Multi Agency Working In Criminal Justice (pp. 137-153). Bristol: The Policy Press.

Warren, D. (2015). Domestic Violence Homicide Review Overview Report into the death of Rosie (Pseudonym) on 18^th February 2014. Tewkesbury Borough Community Safety Partnership. Retrieved from www.tewkesbury.gov.uk

Bidirectional violence, a foreword

Before we examine bidirectional violence, it is important to ask: How does a relationship evolve to be abusive? Does it take deliberate acts by one person against another to gain power and control bit by bit?

In my view an abusive relationship is every single section of the Duluth Power and Control Wheel:

Intimate Partner Terrorist

Acts of coercion, intimidation, emotional abuse, behaviours aimed at degrading, destroying and humiliating the other person to gain control. How is this control exerted? By the presence, use or threat of physical and sexual violence. Practitioners and survivors may be familiar with the term ‘intimate partner terrorist’ because that is what they are. Holding every person in that home to ransom in exchange for their emotional worth, their self-esteem and any desire to leave.

Three types of Perpetrator

Johnson (2006) after extensive research devised three terms to explain the subtypes of perpetrator that might be seen in intimate partner violence. These three terms include the intimate partner terrorist detailed above, violence resistance and situational couple violence. The term violence resistance denotes victims who in the face of further abuse, use learnt behaviours to protect themselves and behave violently for self-preservation. Differentially, situational couple violence is a term coined to describe toxic relationships in which there is violence but this is not about gaining power and control over the other person. Misunderstanding these terms can drastically increase risks to victims. Johnson himself stresses that the most dangerous of all abuse is intimate partner terrorism, which Aurora asserts is the real essence of what we are naming when we talk about domestic abuse.

The term ‘bidirectional violence’

In recent months, I have seen a new terminology being used. The term bidirectional violence has become common parlance in some multi-agency meetings. The term has been generated to capture relationships in which both parties use violence and/or abusive behaviours to one another. The term suggests that a single primary aggressor cannot be identified. My question then is how would a survivor feel? Particularly those who begin to resist and fight back, knowing that their acts of self-defense, their attempts at protecting themselves, their use of learned aggression against the perpetrator are seen as a balanced form of intimate partner violence?

How a relationship can evolve into bidirectional violence

Imagine knowing the mood of the perpetrator and being able to predict whether it is physical violence, verbal abuse, control tactics or the threat of a sexual assault that is brewing. However, one day out of fear you assault the perpetrator to protect yourself and the children. But this time they contact the police and you find yourself being arrested. The perpetrator actively claims victim status, giving details of all the times there have been other violent incidents. The normal safeguarding won’t apply to you now, because you have been a victim and are now a perpetrator. The perpetrator might get a visit from the safeguarding agencies, who will offer them support. Imagine then, that at the next multi-agency meeting, your experiences of control, psychological abuse, serious physical and sexual violence are reduced to ‘bi-directional’ violence.

What are we really saying? That she is as bad as him? Six of one, half a dozen of another. Frontline practitioners within Aurora would always be of the opinion that attitudes like this are archaic and patriarchal. We absolutely do not condone violence in any form. However, it is important in our work to explore the situation with a survivor who is beginning to fight back. We understand why this might happen, but we plan with them to ensure this doesn’t occur for the future safeguarding of everyone linked to the abuse, including the perpetrator. Some of our advocates have worked with women who have killed their partners in self-defense and the ramifications of this are lifelong.

Most importantly, if we don’t explore, we ignore the voice of the victim. Many survivors of abuse are likely to try and predict the violence, placating the perpetrator and doing what is necessary to avoid more serious injury. What the victim hears is that we do not understand her experiences. We ignore the gendered nature of domestic violence, we don’t delve deeper into the power and control in that relationship and we do not identify who the primary aggressor is. We completely overlook the victim’s experience and buy into the perpetrators narrative about ‘her being as bad as him.’

An example of bidirectional violence mislabelling

To evidence this point home further, January 8th 2018 saw the release of the Domestic Homicide Review into the murder of Katrina O’Hara on 7th January 2016 by her former partner (Mellor, 2018). The first police response into domestic abuse within this relationship was made on 10th November 2015 when both parties alleged they had been assaulted. The victim admitted to throwing some of the perpetrator’s stuff around. Within 58 days of making this report, the victim had been murdered. The DHR review made multiple recommendations but of note was point 6.9 which concluded that the first police attendance was mislabelled. Reviewing Police Officers determined that that the victim was ‘very much the perpetrator’ which changed the course of police responses. Ultimately, the victim’s confidence in the agencies tasked to protect her was undermined and she paid for this with her life.

How should we see bidirectional violence?

Domestic abuse is gendered. It affects disproportionately more women than men; two women die a week at the hands of abusive partners (Brennan, 2016). I urge frontline practitioners to consider this the next time you hear the term bidirectional violence. Use it as an opportunity to educate others and consider investigating further into what is really happening in that home. It’s important to understand that victims don’t generally shout about their victimhood, they minimise the behaviour, they make excuses for the perpetrator. They rarely if ever, shout about the abuse.

One way in which you can assess the legitimacy of counterclaims is to refer to the DYN project assessment ‘identifying legitimate victims’ (Robinson & Rowlands, 2006 pp34-35).

Perpetrators are incredibly good at getting professionals to collude with their behaviour. They can and will be very plausible. Let’s not allow them to use us in their power and control games against victims.

#HerNameWasKatrina

Hayley – Serial and Priority Perpetrator Co-ordinator – Aurora New Dawn – (Domestic Abuse Prevention Partnership (DAPP)).

*Hayley is a qualified probation officer and worked for the National Probation Service for twelve years before joining the Aurora team two years ago.*

References:

Brennan, D. (2016). The Femicide Census: Annual report on cases of Femicide in 2016. Women’s Aid Federation.

https://1q7dqy2unor827bqjls0c4rn-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/The-Femicide-Census-Report-published-2017.pdf

Katrina O’ Hara DHR

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/domestic-abuse-police-katrina-ohara-failings-dorset-phone-taken-attacker-stuart-thomas-stalking-a8148726.html

Mellor, D. (2018) Domestic Homicide Review. “Sarah.”

Overview Report. Dorset: Dorset Community Safety Partnership

Johnson, M. P. (2006). Conflict and control: Gender symmetry and asymmetry in domestic violence. Violence against women, 12(11), 1003-1018.

Robinson, A., & Rowlands, J. (2006). The Dyn Project: Supporting Men Experiencing Domestic Abuse (pp. 34-35). Cardiff.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.538.716&rep=rep1&type=pdf

The 25^th November is an important day to us in the sector. It marks the united nations international day for the elimination of violence against women. The UN explain why we need an international day:

“Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, public health pandemic and serious obstacle to sustainable development. It imposes large-scale costs on families, communities and economies. The world cannot afford to pay this price.” — Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

Why This International Day?

• Violence against women is a human rights violation.

• Violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women.

• Violence against women impacts on, and impedes, progress in many areas, including poverty eradication, combating HIV/AIDS, and peace and security.

• Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. Prevention is possible and essential.

• Violence against women continues to be a global pandemic. (UN – 2016)

 

The day is sometimes referred to as White Ribbon day and you can find out more about the history of the White Ribbon campaign on their website.

They state clearly that “White Ribbon Campaign UK is part of a global movement to put a stop to male violence against women and girls.

This is not and never has been a “women’s issue”. We address men directly – so they understand the scale of the problem, and become part of the solution, alongside women.” (White Ribbon UK, 2016)

We decided to ask the women and men on our team including our trustees one simple question “why do we still need an international day for the elimination of violence against women?”

Here is what they came up with:

• “Because we still need violence against women to end.”

 

• “Let’s face, we’re nowhere near the changes we’d like to see; every voice matters.”

 

• “The 25^th November is an opportunity to make our collective voices heard.”

 

• “This year, more so than ever, we call for adequate, sustainable funding to support women and girls affected by violence and abuse.”

 

• “This day holds a mirror up to perpetrators everywhere. Just as equally it holds policy makers and politicians to account. We will continue to need this day to shout for our daughters and our sons until violence and abuse stop being a symptom and a cause of gender inequality!”

 

• “Domestic violence isn’t gender neutral; the fact remains women are disproportionately suffering at the hands of violent men.”

 

• “I want to shout about Male violence against my Gender EVERYDAY, but if people all around the world are shouting about it on the 25th of November then our voices can galvanise to a clamorous throng!! END MALE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN by shouting about it as loud as you can today!!”

 

• “Because the violence does not stop, despite help, support and media promotion women are still being abused, which is why there should be a day to end violence against women.”

• “The 25^th November may make just one woman aware that she is in an unhealthy relationship and that we care and that she matters.”

 

• “Until the governments of the world invest in the sector and place as much emphasis on the elimination of violence against women every day, we will need to keep shouting on the one day they do recognise it is a problem!”

 

•  “Without the 25^th November, it would be easy to forget (considering how most mainstream media treat VAWG) how big a concern violence against women is. There is so much misogyny smoothed into our every day life, in the Western world it is easy to pretend that we’re free.”

 

• “We need today to remind the world how we have suffered abuse for centuries. Our voices have been ignored for so long and our citizenship is equal to any man’s.”

 

•  “We still need to mark this day because, whilst we may have a greater awareness, and possibly a better understanding of the nature and extent of domestic abuse, not enough is being done to tackle the causes, especially in relation to prevention. We need to address the inequalities and ideologies that tolerate and condone abuse. It is far better to prevent and reduce abuse, than tirelessly responding to the casualties.”

 

Shonagh Dillon

CEO

Aurora New Dawn

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop

At Aurora we are passionate about volunteering. Our CEO began her career as a volunteer on what was the local Portsmouth helpline and then with London Rape Crisis many years ago, and when the organisation was established, developing an active volunteer service was at the very top of our wish list.

Fast-forward to 2012 and our volunteer service began with the launch of our domestic abuse helpline*. Since then the service has gone from strength to strength, and the impact made by our volunteers has been felt across the service and beyond. As one example, the development and launch of Aurora New Dawn DVA cars™, was made possible because we were able to first pilot the service using our volunteers in 2012 during alcohol awareness week. These initial pilots enabled us to evidence the need for the service, resulting in the project achieving 3-year funding from the Big Lottery in 2015.

Currently the Aurora volunteer service provides out of hours support for the Portsmouth area, meaning that Portsmouth as a city has 24hr access for survivors of domestic abuse. Our volunteer helpline runs from 5pm to 8am Monday to Thursday and 24hrs over the weekend and bank holidays, picking up referrals and offering support when daytime services are closed. Most of our referrals are received from the Police, because the helpline offers immediate access to independent support for victims who might otherwise have to wait up to 48 hours (over a weekend, for example) before speaking to a specialist service. However, we also accept referrals from other professionals, and people can call the helpline themselves at any time during its hours of operation.

The total number of referrals into the Helpline Service for 2015/16 was 317. We work closely with Portsmouth City Council’s Early Intervention Project (EIP) and refer directly into their service to ensure victims receive ongoing support after their intial contact with the helpline. We also work in partnership with EIP to ensure coverage for survivors at peak times including bank holidays, major sporting events and over Christmas and the New Year.

What our volunteers say:

”Working for Aurora as a volunteer is an amazing experience and everyone is always there to support and help you. The service in itself is just great and has offered so many people the support to give them the courage to carry on and escape their situations”

“Volunteering for Aurora has given me so much insight into how brave survivors are. Their resourcefulness never fails to inspire me. I love being on the helpline.”

“What I enjoyed most was the realness of speaking to survivors; prior to volunteering, I had only ever read about domestic abuse or was told things through hearsay but this made it real and I valued myself as a human being to be able to allow another to have trust in me.”

“For me, it is great to be able to get involved and do my bit to help survivors of domestic abuse, the direct contact with the survivors is a real eye opener and I am amazed at how resourceful and strong people can be. It gives me a real sense of satisfaction to feel that I may have in some way helped or improved things for people.”

What survivors say about our volunteers:

• “Overwhelmed with how much support was available, thank you.”
• “Very friendly, helpful, good advice given, nice to talk to someone”

• “Kind – great to speak to.  Genuine and caring and supportive people who understand the issues of DV.”

• “They told her they would help her and they did.”

• “Felt help straight away.  Helped recognise other forms of abuse and gained knowledge.”

• “Really kind and helpful.”

• “Help and explanation Aurora gave was brilliant.”

• “Lots of support and felt very comfortable by knowing that there are services here to help.”

• “Very supportive and encouraging, would give her [volunteer] the best rating – very high level.”

• “Lovely people. Positive experience.”

 

The variety of skills and knowledge that our volunteers bring to Aurora is something we are incredibly proud of. Our volunteers make us richer as an organisation. Their passion and energy to support survivors in their own time motivates us as a charity to do more. And we are passionate about supporting our volunteers to grow and develop. Previous volunteers have used their experience to pursue careers in a variety of settings, including the National Probation Service, Housing, and work within other specialist domestic abuse services. Some of them even come to work for us! We’re extremely proud of the fact that a number of our current frontline team started working with us after volunteering on the helpline.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our volunteers for their time, commitment and energy. They truly are the backbone of the organisation, and give up their time for free to ensure that survivors have access to support whenever it is needed. We are lucky to have them on board.

Interested in volunteering? We are always looking for new volunteers. Time commitments are flexible and there is a full package of training provided. We are particularly interested in hearing from people with availability over peak times – including the summer holidays, Christmas and New Year. If you are want to find out more why not drop us a line at info@aurorand.org.uk

 

*Funded by the Hampshire and IOW Police and Crime Commissioner

An Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) is trained to look after the needs of victims of sexual violence, both historical and recent incidents. The role is primarily there to help survivors understand how the criminal justice process works and what other support is available to them.

If a victim does choose to go down the route of reporting to the police, the ISVA will assist them to understand what happens next in terms of reporting process, the court system and sometimes (depending on the acuteness of the incident) the importance and process of forensic DNA retrieval.

By contacting an ISVA this does not mean a survivor is expected to report to the police. The choice is always with the victim and whatever decision they make this will be respected by the advocate.

Our ISVA covers Portsmouth City and works very closely in partnership with the Early Intervention Project ISVA based within the city council team.*

What our ISVA has to say:

As an ISVA I offer practical and emotional support, advice & information for victims of rape and sexual abuse. There are many challenges facing victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence seeking justice in the criminal courts.

I work with survivors through the criminal justice system, providing individually tailored support when and where it’s most needed. I support women and men from the age of 16 years old from first disclosure and those who are contemplating reporting to police, through disclosure and through a police investigation.

If a case goes to trial I support the survivor through the Criminal Justice System and at court. I listen and assess the client’s risk and individual needs. I safety plan and risk assess as necessary.

I advocate on a client’s behalf to access support from other agencies such as:

• Police
• Health services
• Housing/Homelessness
• CAB -Benefits
• Counselling
• Social Care -CP meetings
• Legal advice

 

My role is:

• Increase their safety, those of their children and family
• Inform them of choices that are available
• Respect their decisions
• Keep the client informed of developments in their case
• Support the client before, during and after any court case
• Advocate on their behalf
• Liaise with the police, courts, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and other public agencies
• Create a safe environment to disclose sensitive and personal information
• Support them in whatever choices they make
• To build a professional rapport with all clients

 

CASE STUDY 1

I took a call in the office, from a woman who explained that she had found our number online. I asked her how I could help and she remained silent. I sensed her breathing on the end of the line, and had an innate feeling that she needed time, time to be heard and time to tell her story. I reassured her that she can take all the time she needs and that she had been really courageous in making the call today. She found her voice and started to tell me that a year ago she had been repeatedly raped by a man she had previously been in a relationship with.

Her voice was faltering and there were silences in between, and I knew that she needed to be given reassurance and the space to be heard. I told her that I did not need any details of the offences, but I wanted to create safe space where she could disclose this sensitive information.

I explained that to enable me to know how I can best support her and assess her risk and needs, I would like to go through some paperwork with her, including consent and confidentiality.

I met with the client that same week and we continue to speak or meet every week. One of my main roles was to build her trust and to empower her to take back some of the power and control that had been taken so violently from her, by someone she had once loved and trusted.

She has good days and bad days, which she recognises, and I have accompanied her to see her GP upon her request. My role there is to support her to attend, and to be her advocate, as she fears that she will not be able to find the words to explain how she is feeling and to be able to ask for what she wants from the doctor.

Currently, she is contemplating whether to make a report to the police. At this stage, she knows I am here for her, and alongside the weekly Portsmouth Abuse and Rape counselling service (PARCS)**, she is building her confidence and starting to consider her own needs now, and look ahead, rather than being rooted in the past and those feelings of what was done to her.

 

CASE STUDY 2

I received a Police referral through the secure email inbox with contact details for a woman who had been sexually abused as a child for many years, by her stepfather.

On first contact, I introduced myself and explained my role as an ISVA, to support her practically, emotionally, to sign post her to relevant agencies, and to advocate for her on her behalf. I explained that I would support her through the police investigation and though court if the perpetrator was charged.

This woman has lived with this for many years and has recently found the courage to tell her story. The impact on her direct family members has been significant; none of them knew about the abuse she received as a child. On reporting to the police she tells me she has found an inner peace, that now she has handed on this ‘terrible secret’ to the professionals.

Some of her family members have been interviewed and will be witnesses in court, if the perpetrator is charged. We met regularly at the Treetops Centre SARC, (sexual assault referral centre), a neutral place where she felt safe and able to express her fears and concerns.

This woman works full time and her manager is aware of the police investigation. There has been some unwanted indirect contact from extended family members, via social media, telling her to withdraw the allegations, but my client has acted quickly and sensibly, sending these messages direct to her police officer at Amberstone, the sexual offences unit in Portsmouth.

I work very closely with the unit at Amberstone, and when my client wanted an update on the investigation, the three of us met up to offer her reassurance whilst the police officer could tell her exactly what stage the investigation had reached.

Last week my client heard from the police that the perpetrator was being charged with the offences against her as a child. She rang me immediately, so we could talk things through, and explain each step as it would evolve, through the hearings and eventually at trial.

I have organised a pre-trial visit with her so we will attend a week before the trial so she can see the lay out of the court and meet the witness care staff. She has elected to have special measures, so she will have a curtain to shield her from the perpetrator when in court.

At the trial she has asked me to be with her. I will be there, by her side, supporting her. During the trial I will sit behind her, and am on hand to accompany her if she wants a break at any stage during the proceedings. She is ready and prepared to stand up in court and tell her story. All she wants is justice; I feel privileged to be by her side.

*Funded by the Home Office until March 2017

**ISVA’s rely heavily on specialist rape crisis centres like PARCS their work is invaluable in the process of healing for survivors