Nearly a third of LGBT+ domestic violence victims have attempted suicide
Sad lonely senior lady suffering from migraine (Photo: bialasiewicz)
Nearly a third of women and non-binary LGBT+ domestic violence victims have attempted suicide after being abused.
The damning statistics intend to illustrate the odds stacked up against queer domestic violence victims who are struggling for help to overcome abuse.
Around 28 percent of these victims have contemplated suicide, reported Cosmopolitan.
‘A thousand words’ commissioned by Scottish Womens Aid and Zero Tolerance (Laura Dodsworth)
The CEO of SafeLives, the domestic violence charity that recorded the statistics, said that this is down to the “toxic” way in which we stereotype victims of abuse.
“The more we can get rid of the stigma around LGBTQ+ identities and domestic abuse, the better. They’re working together in quite a toxic way,” SafeLives CEO Suzanne Jacob told the publication.
Victims can also have their sexuality leveraged against them as an abusive tactic if they are not out to their work, family or friends.
LGBT+ women can get trapped in a cycle of abuse (Pexels)
“If you experience rejection and isolation from your family, and if you’re experiencing other gender identity and sexuality issues, they can be preyed on by an abusive partner,” she adds.
In order to help the women who need it, one police force has started to log all victims of domestic violence who are queer.
As LGBT+ women are often forgotten in the scramble for rapidly-depleting sources and funding to help domestic abuse victims, one police force is reaching out to struggling queer women to ensure that they are getting the help that they need.
Authorities can fail to identify women LGBT+ victims because perpetrators are expected to be male (Pexels)
Greater Manchester Police has become the first force to record the domestic abuse of LGBTQ+ victims using the code D66 in March of this year.
In its first year of recording, it discovered 775 cases of abuse.
“This reporting code is giving us a clearer picture of abuse, helping to break down barriers and encourage people to report it,” said Deputy mayor for policing and crime Beverley Hughes to policeprofessional.com.
One police force is recording LGBT+ cases of domestic violence (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
“Vitally, this also means that we can ensure the right services are in place to support victims of domestic abuse and empower more people to take that first step to seek help and support.”
