Not enough is being done to tackle misogyny among young people and toxic online influences, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead on domestic abuse, as she reacted to data showing an estimated 18% of 16- to 19-year-olds are victims of abuse.
Louisa Rolfe said: “That’s a huge proportion of young people. And we work very hard in this space to see where we apply the outcomes of justice, but we don’t want to criminalize a whole cohort of young people. It’s absolutely necessary to identify the most harmful behaviour, but also our preference would be to prevent it.”
He added: “This type of crime needs a whole-of-society response in terms of a greater understanding of the dynamics of abuse, in particular. “There are some brilliant plans to tackle misogyny with young children at school and talk about toxic influences online, but not enough.
“By the time it reaches us, often the damage has already been done, the trauma has already been suffered and we would prefer to work with others to prevent it.”
Last year, the Office for National Statistics found that 16-19 year olds and 20-24 year olds accounted for a higher proportion of those experiencing domestic abuse than any other age group.
Rolfe was speaking as a witness at an evidence session for the House of Lords Domestic Abuse Bill 2021 committee on Thursday. She told her peers that the definition of abuse “currently does not include children under 16” who experience abuse in their relationships, despite being the “fastest growing group of domestic abuse victims.”
Rolfe added that police colleagues are working with academics on the issue of abuse in teenage relationships, to ensure that “we are not dismantling the brilliant developments over the years in how police respond to child abuse investigations and dealing with vulnerable children, but rather ensuring that those investigators are also aware of the dynamics of abusive relationships.”
Helen Millichap, national police officer for violence against women and girls, added that the current definition struggles to take into account the “digital age” and cases of abuse in online relationships.
Millichap said: “Sometimes intimate couple relationships that you might consider should be within the scope of the spirit of this law are now being handled online or sometimes online in the real world.”
“It may be debatable whether an online relationship meets the definition of the act, but the response must be meaningful and effective in relation to what is required in terms of providing victim service and justice.”
According to Refuge, there has been an increase in domestic abuse among young women and girls aged 16 to 25. Of the 842 victims who received support from the service last year, 73% suffered psychological abuse and six in 10 said they experienced coercive control.
Later in the evidence session, Harriet Wistrich, chief executive of the Center for Women’s Justice, said the Home Office’s current approach to immigration risks making it harder for migrant or refugee women to access abuse support.
Currently, the Domestic Abuse Act of 2021 does not include victims with insecure immigration status. Wistrich said, “Abusers know how to manipulate that and how to keep you stuck in your relationship.”
He said a lack of trust and the perception of “firewalls between police and immigration” create fears that reporting abuses will lead to their immigration status being questioned.
“I fear that the very recent announcements about the earned settlement scheme and changes to asylum laws will make things much worse and really put the lives of those who do not have established immigration status at great risk,” Wistrich added.
