Last Updated: 19 August 2026 I Reading Time: Approx. 6 minutes
Summary
Domestic abuse remains a significant issue across England and Wales, affecting millions of people every year. It can involve physical or sexual violence, but domestic abuse can also include emotional or psychological abuse, controlling or coercive behaviour and economic abuse.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate that 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales in the year ending March 2025. This represents 7.8% of people aged 16 and over. Around 12.5 million people were estimated to have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16.
Tackling domestic abuse requires action across policing, the criminal justice system, government, charities, support services and legal organisations. For victims who have suffered physical or psychological injuries as a result of violent crime, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS) may also provide a route to compensation where the eligibility requirements are met.
Quick answer
Domestic abuse is a serious form of harm that can involve physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, as well as controlling or coercive behaviour. Current ONS data shows that millions of people experience domestic abuse each year in England and Wales. Government policy focuses on prevention, supporting victims and pursuing perpetrators, while victims who have suffered qualifying injuries may be able to seek compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
In this article
- What is domestic abuse?
- What types of behaviour can constitute domestic abuse?
- Domestic abuse statistics in England and Wales
- Who is affected by domestic abuse?
- Domestic abuse and the criminal justice system
- Domestic abuse, football and major sporting events
- Government action to tackle domestic abuse
- Can victims of domestic abuse claim compensation?
- How the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme works
- How GLP Solicitors can help
- Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- Domestic abuse is not limited to physical violence. It can include sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, as well as controlling or coercive behaviour.
- The latest ONS figures estimate that 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025.
- Around 12.5 million people were estimated to have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16.
- Police recorded 816,493 domestic abuse-related crimes in England and Wales in the year ending March 2025.
- Domestic abuse can affect people regardless of gender, although women experience domestic abuse at a higher rate than men according to the latest ONS survey.
- Government policy focuses on prevention, supporting victims, pursuing perpetrators and strengthening the wider response to domestic abuse.
- Victims of qualifying violent crimes may be able to seek compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
- A criminal conviction is not necessarily required for a CICA claim, although applicants must satisfy the Scheme’s eligibility and evidence requirements.
What’s domestic abuse?
Domestic abuse is more than physical violence.
Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, domestic abuse involves abusive behaviour between people aged 16 or over who are personally connected to each other.
The definition includes:
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Violent or threatening behaviour
- Controlling or coercive behaviour
- Economic abuse
- Psychological or emotional abuse
The behaviour can consist of a single incident or a course of conduct.
Domestic abuse can happen between current or former partners and between family members. It does not require the victim and perpetrator to live together.
What is controlling or coercive behaviour?
Controlling or coercive behaviour can take many forms.
Examples can include:
- Controlling who someone sees or speaks to
- Monitoring their movements or communications
- Preventing access to money
- Controlling what they wear or where they go
- Isolating them from friends and family
- Threatening them or their children
- Repeatedly humiliating or intimidating them
These behaviours may form part of a wider pattern of abuse and can have a serious impact on a person’s independence and wellbeing.
What is economic abuse?
Economic abuse is also recognised within the statutory definition of domestic abuse.
It can involve behaviour that has a substantial adverse effect on a person’s ability to acquire, use or maintain money or property, or obtain goods or services.
Examples could include controlling access to bank accounts, preventing someone from working, restricting access to essential goods or services, or exploiting their financial resources.
This is important because someone does not have to suffer physical violence for their experience to constitute domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse statistics in England and Wales
The latest ONS figures provide a clearer picture of the scale of domestic abuse.
For the year ending March 2025, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that:
- 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse.
- This represented 7.8% of people aged 16 and over.
- Around 12.5 million people, or 25.8%, had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16.
- 2.2 million women and 1.5 million men experienced domestic abuse during the year.
The ONS also found that emotional abuse was the most commonly reported type in the latest survey, followed by economic abuse and threats. Domestic stalking and domestic sexual assault were also recorded within the survey.
These figures demonstrate why domestic abuse cannot be viewed solely as a problem involving physical assaults.
Why are police figures different?
Police-recorded figures should not be treated as a direct measure of how many people experience domestic abuse.
The ONS specifically warns that police data provide only a partial picture because domestic abuse is often not reported to the police. Changes to police recording practices can also affect comparisons between years.
In the year ending March 2025, police recorded:
1,350,460 domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes, including 816,493 domestic abuse-related crimes.
The number of recorded domestic abuse-related crimes decreased by 4.1% compared with the previous year. However, the ONS cautions that this reflects, at least in part, changes in police recording practices and should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that domestic abuse itself has decreased.
Who is affected by domestic abuse?
Domestic abuse can affect people of all backgrounds, ages and genders.
However, the latest ONS figures show a higher prevalence among women than men.
In the year ending March 2025, an estimated:
- 9.1% of women aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse.
- 6.5% of men aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse.
This equated to approximately 2.2 million women and 1.5 million men.
Younger adults were also more likely to have experienced domestic abuse than people aged 25 and over, according to the latest ONS victim characteristics data.
The statistics reinforce the importance of recognising that there is no single profile of a domestic abuse victim.
Domestic abuse and the criminal justice system
The criminal justice system plays an important role in responding to domestic abuse.
In the year ending March 2025, the latest ONS criminal justice data showed:
- 816,493 domestic abuse-related crimes were recorded by police.
- There were 76,393 referrals of suspects from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision.
- The CPS domestic abuse charging rate increased to 79.9%.
- There were 54,987 domestic abuse-related CPS prosecutions, an increase of 7.4% compared with the previous year.
- Of those prosecutions, 74.7% resulted in a conviction.
These figures should be interpreted carefully because the data at different stages of the criminal justice process relate to different measures, such as offences, suspects and defendants. The ONS therefore advises against directly comparing figures from different stages.
Does a victim have to report domestic abuse to the police?
Reporting an incident to the police can be important for safety and criminal justice purposes, but victims may have concerns about reporting abuse.
For people considering a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) claim, reporting the relevant violent crime to the police is generally an eligibility requirement. However, the criminal injuries scheme does not require the offender to have been convicted before compensation can be considered.
The evidence available will be considered by CICA when deciding whether the eligibility requirements have been met.
Domestic Abuse, Football and Major Sporting Events
There has been considerable research and public discussion about the relationship between domestic abuse and major sporting events, particularly football tournaments.
Research has previously identified an association between major football events and increases in reported domestic abuse. However, the often-repeated claim that football tournaments always cause a 38% increase in domestic violence is too broad to present as a universal statistic.
The relationship between sporting events, alcohol consumption, reporting behaviour and domestic abuse is complex, and individual studies have produced different findings.
For that reason, it is more accurate to say that major sporting events can be associated with increased domestic abuse reporting or incidents in some circumstances, rather than presenting a single percentage as a universal rule.
Awareness campaigns around football have therefore become an important part of efforts to challenge harmful attitudes and encourage people to recognise domestic abuse.
Government Action to Tackle Domestic Abuse
The Government’s Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan sets out a strategy focused on four broad areas:
- Prevention
- Supporting victims
- Pursuing perpetrators
- Building a stronger system
The plan was published following the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and forms part of the wider government approach to reducing domestic abuse and domestic homicide.
The wider legal framework has also changed significantly in recent years.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 established a statutory definition of domestic abuse and introduced a range of measures intended to strengthen protections for victims and improve the response to perpetrators.
This reflects an important change in understanding domestic abuse: abuse is not simply about individual incidents of physical violence.
Patterns of control, intimidation, financial exploitation and emotional abuse can also cause serious and lasting harm.
Can Victims of Domestic Abuse Claim Compensation?
Potentially, yes.
If you have suffered a qualifying physical or mental injury as a result of a violent crime, you may be able to claim compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
The Scheme is government-funded and is administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). It applies to eligible victims of violent crime in England, Scotland and Wales.
The current Scheme includes specific provisions covering physical abuse of adults, including domestic abuse, as well as physical abuse of children and sexual assault.
However, not every experience of domestic abuse will automatically qualify for CICA compensation.
Eligibility depends on the circumstances, the nature of the injury, the evidence available and the other requirements of the Scheme.
What can CICA compensation cover?
Depending on the circumstances, compensation can potentially be available for:
- Physical injuries
- Disabling mental injuries
- Sexual assault
- Physical abuse
- Certain losses of earnings
- Certain expenses
- Bereavement following a fatal criminal injury
The current government guidance states that injury payments can range from £1,000 to £250,000, with a maximum total compensation award of £500,000 where multiple types of compensation are involved.
The amount awarded depends on the nature and severity of the qualifying injury and the rules of the Scheme.
How Long Do You Have to Make a CICA Claim?
In most cases, an application should be made as soon as reasonably practicable and normally within two years of the incident. There are exceptions and special provisions in certain circumstances, including some cases involving childhood abuse.
If you experienced domestic abuse over a long period, the applicable rules can be more complicated.
You should therefore avoid assuming that you are automatically out of time because the abuse happened some time ago.
CICA guidance recognises specific circumstances in which applications may be considered outside the normal time limit, but the requirements are important.
If you think you may have a claim, obtaining legal advice promptly can help you understand whether the Scheme could apply to your circumstances.
Does the Perpetrator Have to Be Convicted?
No.
A conviction is not a requirement for a CICA claim.
CICA makes its own decision based on the rules of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and the evidence available. Government guidance confirms that applicants should not wait for criminal proceedings to conclude before making a claim.
However, the crime generally needs to have been reported to the police, and the applicant must satisfy the wider eligibility requirements.
Evidence can include police information, medical evidence and other relevant material. CICA guidance recognises that medical evidence can be particularly useful where it supports injuries or health conditions consistent with domestic abuse.
What Evidence Can Support a Domestic Abuse Compensation Claim?
If you are considering a CICA claim, keeping evidence can be important.
Depending on the circumstances, relevant evidence could include:
- Police reports and crime reference numbers
- Medical records
- GP or hospital records
- Photographs of physical injuries
- Evidence of psychological injuries
- Witness statements
- Messages or other communications
- Records relating to previous incidents
- Evidence demonstrating a pattern of abuse
You should not assume that you need to have every piece of evidence before seeking advice.
The appropriate evidence will depend on the circumstances of your claim.
How GLP Solicitors Can Help
At GLP Solicitors, our Criminal Injury Compensation team helps people understand whether they may be able to seek compensation following a violent crime.
For domestic abuse cases, this can involve considering:
Your circumstances
We can discuss what happened and consider whether the circumstances may fall within the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
The injuries you have suffered
We can consider the physical or psychological consequences of the abuse and the evidence available.
The CICA rules
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme has detailed eligibility requirements. We can explain the relevant rules and what they could mean for your circumstances.
Evidence and supporting information
We can advise you about the evidence that may be relevant to your claim and help you understand what information CICA may require.
Challenging a CICA decision
If CICA refuses a claim or makes an award that you believe does not properly reflect your circumstances, there are procedures for requesting a review and, where appropriate, appealing to the First-tier Tribunal.
Our aim is to provide clear, practical legal advice while recognising the sensitive circumstances that can surround domestic abuse.
Frequently Asked Questions
In England and Wales, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 defines domestic abuse as abusive behaviour between people aged 16 or over who are personally connected. The behaviour can include physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse and psychological or emotional abuse. The definition can cover a single incident or a course of conduct.
You may be able to claim compensation if you have suffered a qualifying injury as a result of a violent crime and meet the requirements of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. The current Scheme specifically provides for compensation relating to physical abuse, including domestic abuse, as well as certain mental injuries and sexual assaults. Eligibility depends on the circumstances and evidence available.
No. A conviction is not required for CICA to consider a claim. The Scheme has its own eligibility and evidence requirements, and decisions are made based on the information available. However, the relevant crime generally needs to have been reported to the police. You should also avoid waiting for a criminal trial to finish before making a claim because time limits apply.
For most CICA claims, you should apply as soon as reasonably practicable and normally within two years of the incident. There are exceptions and different rules for certain circumstances, including some cases involving childhood abuse. If your abuse happened more than two years ago, you should not automatically assume that you cannot claim. A solicitor can consider whether any exception may apply.
Potentially. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme allows compensation for certain disabling mental injuries, provided the relevant requirements are met. Government guidance states that a disabling mental injury must make it substantially more difficult to carry out ordinary activities and must last for at least six weeks, with a diagnosis from a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist required under the Scheme.
No. Domestic abuse can include controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse and psychological or emotional abuse, as well as physical or sexual abuse. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 specifically recognises these different forms of abusive behaviour. However, the fact that behaviour meets the legal definition of domestic abuse does not automatically mean that a person will qualify for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
Potentially. The CICA Scheme contains specific provisions dealing with patterns of physical abuse, including domestic abuse. The way a claim is assessed will depend on the circumstances, injuries suffered, evidence and other Scheme requirements. Time limits can also be particularly important in cases involving historical or ongoing abuse, so obtaining advice about the specific circumstances is recommended.
Generally, the crime must have been reported to the police before a CICA claim can be made. There are detailed rules concerning evidence and eligibility, and reporting an incident does not itself guarantee that a compensation claim will succeed. If you are considering a claim, it is sensible to obtain advice about the specific circumstances and the evidence available.
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