The UK has finally updated it’s definition of Domestic Abuse to apply to 16 and 17 year olds, closing the loop hole that allowed 16 and 17-year olds to get married, or live independently with no protection from abusive and/or violent partners. The definition also includes same-sex relationships if they are intimate ones.
via the New Definition for Domestic Abuse.
Do you know Domestic Abuse is not only Domestic Violence?
It includes:
- financial
- emotional
- psychological
- sexual
- physical
Coercive behaviour is now included, which is: an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.
Teenagers at risk
The British Crime Survey in 2009/10 found that 16-19-year-olds were the group most likely to suffer abuse from a partner, so this change in the law is crucial.
This definition, which is not a legal definition, includes so called ‘honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, and is clear that victims are not confined to one gender or ethnic group.