Our View: End this 'national scandal' of women driven to suicide by domestic violence

A woman in an abusive relationship is now more likely to take her own life than be killed by a partner

We were profoundly disturbed by a recent report in the national media highlighting cases of women driven to suicide by their abusive partners and the lack of action - or, apparently in some instances, interest - taken by police and prosecutors.

Domestic violence-linked suicides are now so frequent that a woman in an abusive relationship is more likely to take her own life than be killed by her partner, according to this report in the Guardian on Sunday.

Researchers believe official data records only a tiny fraction of cases - just 6.5 per cent, according to analysis - of women dying in these circumstances.

The research conducted in Kent concluded that approximately a third of all suspected suicides in the area between 2018 and 2024 were affected or influenced by domestic abuse.

If the numbers in Kent reflect the national picture, the Guardian reported, as many as 1,500 victims of domestic abuse are taking their own lives every year - around 15 times as many as previously thought.

Campaigners have called on police forces, coroners and the Crown Prosecution Service to recognise the potential link between abuse and suicide and to step up efforts to ensure abusers face justice.

Della Kagure Brown, director of the New Futures Project, said: "We were moved but unfortunately not surprised by this report.

"Although it would be hard to question this government's commitment to support vulnerable women and girls, we meet women and girls everyday who are living in fear of their abusers.

"We do hope that further and immediate action is taken to help them and to provide adequate funding to women’s support groups so their aim of addressing the issue within 10 years is realistic."

Tim Woodhouse, a University of Kent academic who led the research, said: “We need some sort of national taskforce to get a grip on this.”

He said his work was "just trying to open people’s eyes that this is happening way more often than people think. It is, in terms of numbers, a national scandal."

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Our director Della Kagure Brown. (Pic by Natalie Wallinger)

Campaigners have called for all suicides where domestic abuse is suspected to be investigated as potential homicides.

Only one man in the UK has been convicted of manslaughter after a woman he had subjected to domestic abuse took her own life, the Guardian reported.

Pragna Patel of Project Resist told the newspaper: "Too many bereaved families who have lost loved ones to domestic abuse-related suicides are being failed by a criminal justice system that is not fit for purpose.”

"At the heart of the injustice is not the failure of training, the absence of ‘professional curiosity’ or the lack of laws, but a systemic culture of discrimination, arrogance, indifference and apathy."

The Government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls.

Bodies such as the National Police Chiefs Council and the Crown Prosecution Service say they are determined to ensure more abusers are charged in relation to such deaths.

However, Kate Ellis, joint head of litigation at the Centre for Women’s Justice, said: "Sadly, police forces too often miss opportunities to disrupt escalating domestic abuse and protect victims.

"Too often we see police forces failing to take any criminal action against perpetrators, or consider protective measures that could be put in place, even when domestic abuse cases are graded as high risk. These errors can have fatal consequences.

"We believe that some domestic abuse-related suicides are preventable, particularly in cases where the police are on notice of the abuse.

"Coercive and controlling relationships tend to follow similar patterns, so it is vital that police identify these patterns and act quickly.

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“We are also concerned that many suicides in apparent domestic abuse contexts are not recognised or investigated by the police as potential homicides, even when there is significant evidence of prior domestic abuse.”

The Guardian has highlighted a number of cases, including those of Georgia Barter 

and Katie Madden.

Georgia’s mother, Kay, said: "It’s been almost six long heart-breaking years since I lost my beautiful daughter Georgia. Still the fight for justice goes on.

"I would like to ask this government ‘when did this country stop respecting or protecting women and girls?’ Now is the time to show them you care.”

"The only successful conviction for manslaughter where a person’s partner died by suicide was in 2017 almost ten years ago. That is shocking.

"I’m sure I speak for myself and the countless grieving families out there – we demand change now.”

The New Futures Project offers a comprehensive welfare and counselling service for women and young people dealing with sexual abuse or exploitation, domestic violence, trafficking, poverty and debt, substance use or mental ill-health.

Call us on 0116 251 0803 or send us a message at: info@new-futures.org.uk

You can find us at 71 London Road, Leicester, LE2 0PE.