As the service pioneers a new scheme that has identified a shocking number of hidden victims of domestic abuse in England and Wales, Citizens Advice finds that some victims are failing to gain access to legal aid because they are being let down by the system.
Over the period of a year Citizens Advice Bureaux saw over 21,000 reports of domestic violence – a rise of 16% from the previous year. The charity regularly sees over 13,000 people seeking help with domestic violence issues each year.
Domestic violence still often operates below the radar and is chronically under-reported. With 0.8% of Citizens Advice Bureaux clients disclosing domestic abuse, the Citizens Advice service took action and piloted a new radical programme in bureaux across the country to give victims a safe space to disclose this hidden violence by asking a few routine questions when clients sought help with debt and housing issues.
The ASK project piloted by Citizens Advice found that in fact 27% of clients had experienced domestic violence – 3% higher than the national average reported for women.
With the intention to roll the ASK scheme out across all bureaux, the same increase in reports of domestic violence nationally could uncover over half a million (540,000) victims, the vast majority of whom would otherwise have stayed silent.
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