In the UK 2.4 million people were estimated victims of domestic abuse offences in the year ending in March 2022, according to the Office of National Statistics.
York Director of Public Health, Sharon Stoltz, presented a report on domestic abuse to the City of York Council’s executive member for health just last week.
The report indicated that in the 2022 to 2023 financial year, there were 2,069 domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by North Yorkshire Police in York.
Many charities in Yorkshire are continuing to support women who are victims of violence and domestic abuse
Rosemary Cook, 64, Chief Executive of York charity Kyra Women’s Project, said: “We support any woman, or anyone who identifies as a woman to make positive changes in their lives, and that is very often after domestic abuse.
“We believe people can build themselves up and recover from any circumstance they’ve been through. They are the ones making the change in their lives. We want people to understand that it is a long journey, it’s not just about leaving the relationship.”
In York’s council report, it was revealed that the largest number of domestic abuse-related crimes were reported in Guildhall (263), followed by Westfield (249), Micklegate (200) and Heworth (190) during the same period.
It was also revealed that 72% of the reported incidents were female victims aged between 20 and 39 years old.
Kyra Women’s Project has recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary of supporting women in the city of York and currently has around 150 – 200 members coming through their doors each week.
“The volunteers are fantastic, they keep everything going and give us hours of their time that would equivalate to a huge amount of money.”
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of domestic abuse, there is a 24-hour national helpline on 0808 2000 247.