Brighton & Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat on domestic violence

Domestic violence is under-reported locally and nationally – but in Brighton & Hove ten incidents a day of domestic abuse are reported to police and council staff.

Across the UK one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. While the majority of domestic violence is perpetrated by men against women, a minority of men and also many trans people also experience it.

It’s important that anyone in an abusive relationship is able to seek help and advice. In many cases, the perpetrators of violence isolate their victims from family and friends – so providing easily-accessible support services is important.

In partnership with the police and local domestic violence charity RISE, we’ve begun hosting a walk-in surgery at Hove Town Hall on Wednesday mornings – the first of its kind in the city. This is part of the Sussex-wide ‘Talk To Us’ campaign encouraging those who need it to access expert information and advice from Sussex Police staff and RISE volunteers.

The surgery offers people a safe space to talk through their concerns, a chance to find out more about the options available to them as well as access to assistance with their housing and financial situation. People can also find out more about their partner’s offending history so that they can make informed choices about what happens next.

We are also doing work on preventing domestic violence, including work with the city’s schools to teach children about healthy relationships. For example one scheme provides support to primary schoolchildren who have been personally affected by domestic violence or abuse at home. And older teenagers also learn about how to recognise when a relationship is unhealthy or abusive, and where they can go to get help.

We hope that schemes such as these and others that we support will help eradicate the blight that is domestic violence in our city.