Domestic abuse 'most common' in pregnancy and before baby reaches the age of two

The YouGov survey of 2,224 parents, of which 281 had experienced domestic abuse from a partner during pregnancy and/or the first two years of their child’s life, was undertaken between 8 and 9 February this year.

It found that the time from pregnancy until a baby’s second birthday, known as a baby’s first 1001 days, was the most common time for domestic abuse to occur during parenthood. The results are in line with academic evidence about the high prevalence of domestic abuse during this period.

Parents identified a number of major barriers to seeking help during this time, such as feeling ashamed; worrying about experiencing more abuse as a consequence; not knowing how to talk about the situation; not thinking it was serious enough to seek help and worrying about the consequences to the baby, in terms of action by the authorities.

Amanda McIntyre, CEO of The For Baby’s Sake Trust, said, ‘This research really brings home why it is so important we give new parents the support they need to break the cycle of domestic abuse and give their babies a better start in life. 

‘Raising a baby can be an amazing, positive and life-changing experience but it can also be a real challenge, particularly if the parents have had a traumatic childhood or are in an abusive relationship. This isn’t inevitable, there is another way and we have a duty to give these parents the support they need to break the cycle of domestic abuse and give their babies the best possible start in life.’

The For Baby’s Sake Trust has created a programme, For Baby’s Sake, to support families during this time, which is currently operating in Hertfordshire, London, Cambridgeshire and Blackpool.  It hopes to launch an online version of the programme shortly with a limited number of additional places.