Crimestoppers launches new ‘domestic abuse signs’ campaign

Crimestoppers is sharing the signs to spot that indicate domestic abuse could be happening to someone close to them, in a new campaign launched this week.

In 2023, the charity received over 4,000 reports on domestic abuse offences. It is appealing for anyone who is aware of it happening to contact them 100% anonymously, as it can save lives.

Crimestoppers says anyone can become a victim of domestic abuse, with one in four women and one in six men experiencing it in their lifetime. And in too many cases, it results in death, with two women murdered by a current or former partner each week across the UK.

Often, children living in households are the unseen victims who carry this trauma throughout their lives. Domestic abuse can be physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, or financial. And any adult can be a perpetrator.

Signs that someone is a victim of domestic

• Their partner puts them down in front of other people
• They are constantly worried about making their partner angry
• They make excuses for their partner’s behaviour
• Their partner is extremely jealous or possessive
• They have unexplained marks or injuries
• They’ve stopped spending time with friends and family
• They are depressed or anxious, or you notice changes in their personality

You may be a neighbour who could have seen or heard:

• Threatening and intimidating arguments, which may involve violent language or escalate to smashing up the furniture
• Arguments where the partner blames the other for their actions, saying they are “asking for it” or deserve the abuse
• Individuals with bruising or other visible marks, which may have been caused by physical abuse

A team of professionals working at the Crimestoppers national Contact Centre anonymise all information received – to ensure the person giving the details can never be identified – before passing it on to police to investigate. Whether it is a neighbour, friend, work colleague, or relative, no one will ever know who provided the information.

Distressing stories

Gary Murray, North West regional manager at Crimestoppers, said: “Every day we hear distressing stories from people who are doing the right thing and telling our charity anonymously when they think domestic abuse is happening.

“We know that victims sadly may be embarrassed, too scared and traumatised to seek help, and it typically could take 35 assaults before they have the strength to speak up. This could be for many different reasons; fear of losing their children; fear of losing their home; fear of not being believed; even thoughts that they are somehow to blame.

“Information, given to our charity from people across the North West, helps law enforcement stop abuse and violence in the home. By working together, knowing the signs to spot and reporting what we know, we can help put a stop to domestic abuse and we can save lives.”

Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111.