UK: New research on intimate violence makes headlines

A government advertising campaign is being launched to raise awareness of domestic violence in teenage relationships.

The adverts will target boys and girls aged 13 to 18, urging them not to use violence against their girlfriends, BBC News Online reports.

The £2m TV, radio, internet and poster campaign is part of a government strategy announced last year to reduce violence against women and girls. Home Secretary Alan Johnson said it was essential to change attitudes in order to stop abuse against females. He said:

‘We want to see young people in safe and happy relationships and this means tackling attitudes towards abuse at an early age, before patterns of violence can occur. We hope this campaign will help teenagers to recognise the signs of abuse and equip them with the knowledge and confidence to seek help, as well as understanding the consequences of being abusive or controlling in a relationship.’

The campaign follows research by the NSPCC, which suggested that a quarter of girls aged 13 to 17 had experienced physical violence from a boyfriend and a third had been pressured into sexual acts they did not want. The children’s charity said it was alarmed by the number of young people who viewed abuse in relationships as normal.

One version of the advert shows two teenagers lying on a bed watching television. When the girl gets a text message from a friend the boy dislikes he loses his temper, throwing her phone to the floor and grabbing her by the hair.  The advert’s director Shane Meadows said he wanted to highlight the problem of emotional violence, including verbal insults and controlling behaviour such as monitoring text messages.

‘It’s a message I fundamentally believe in, and it’s what most of my films have been about - finding another way of leading your life. It’s a very powerful and valuable lesson,’ he said.

Another survey, reported by BBC News Online on the same day, claimed that a majority of women believe some rape victims should take responsibility for what happened. Almost three quarters of the women who believed this said if a victim got into bed with the assailant before an attack they should accept some responsibility.

The survey of more than 1,000 people in London marked the 10th anniversary of the Havens service for rape victims. The online survey, titled Wake Up To Rape, polled 1,061 people aged 18 to 50, comprising 712 women and 349 men.

More than half of those of both sexes questioned said there were some circumstances when a rape victim should accept responsibility for an attack. The study found that women were less forgiving of the victim than men.

Of the women who believed some victims should take responsibility, 71% thought a person should accept responsibility when getting into bed with someone, compared with 57% of men.

Elizabeth Harrison from the Havens said there was never an excuse for forcing a woman to do something she did not want to.

‘Clearly, women are in a position where they need to take responsibility for themselves - but whatever you wear and whatever you do does not give somebody else the right to rape you. It’s important people take the time to actually look at what they are doing and make sure the person they are with is actually wanting to go ahead with what they are proposing.’

The survey also found more than one in 10 people were unsure whether they would report being raped to the police, and 2% said they would definitely not do so. The main reasons were being too embarrassed or ashamed (55%), wanting to forget it had happened (41%) and not wanting to go to court (38%).

Meanwhile, the survey suggested that many people are relaxed about their safety. Almost half of people have walked home via side streets on their own. One in five has been so drunk they have lost their memory, while one in five has got into a taxi without checking whether it is licensed.

When asked about their own experiences, more than a third of those polled said they had been in a situation where they could have been made to have sex against their will. Women are more likely to have been in this situation - 40% compared to 20%.  And one in five adults had been in a situation where they were made to have sex when they did not want to. This had happened to more women (23%) than men (20%).

The Home Office said it had introduced a number of measures to the service provided to rape victims, including new police and prosecutors’ guidance, monitoring of services and funding for support for rape victims. A spokeswoman said:

‘The government is determined to ensure that every victim has immediate access to the services and support they need so that more victims have the confidence to come forward and report these crimes and we can bring the perpetrators to justice.’

Teenage domestic violence tackled by advert campaign. BBC News Online, 15 February 2010

Teen girls abused by boyfriends warns NSPCC. Press release, 1 September 2009.

Women say some rape victims should take blame - survey. BBC News Online, 15 February 2010

Wake Up To Rape Research: Summary Report. Prepared by Opinion Matters, for The Havens (Sexual Assault Referral Centres). [.pdf]