AAFDA CEO Frank Mullane Awarded MBE in 2019 New Year's Honours list
It is now 20 years since research by Sylvia Walby estimated that one third of all female suicides in England and Wales may have been impacted by domestic abuse and, while the link between domestic abuse and suicide is now well-established, the full extent of domestic abuse related suicide remains unknown.
Research by the Kent & Medway Suicide Prevention Team found that 30% of suspected suicides in the district had domestic abuse as a factor . The Domestic Homicides and Suspected Victim Suicides 2022-2023 Report recorded 93 suspected domestic abuse-related suicides in a year – one every four days , research by Agenda Alliance found that women who suffer domestic abuse are three times more likely than their peers to try to take their own life and to have made a suicide attempt in the last year and SafeLives report that every day almost 30 women attempt suicide because of domestic abuse.
As chilling as these statistics are, all are likely to underestimate the scale of the problem. With only around 20% of women affected by domestic abuse reporting it to the police , AAFDA CEO Frank Mullane says, “No one knows how many people are killed or caused to die by domestic abuse. Each year we become more knowing of the likely scale of the problem and then new information indicates that the problem is more significant than we thought.”
What we do know is that every one of these suicides leaves behind loved ones facing unimaginable grief, with unanswered questions and no clear process by which to fight for justice for their loved one.
“After a homicide, there will be an investigation and a trial”, says Frank, “but after a suicide, although there will be an inquest, families have to fight – often for years and usually without legal representation – for the role of the domestic abuse in the suicide to be recognised by coroners.”
AAFDA is the only organisation currently providing specialist support to families bereaved by suicide and unexplained death where there was a history of domestic abuse and by the time bereaved family members find us they are often desperate
“I didn't know AAFDA existed before my sister died. It has really helped our family to deal with the trauma. Without their support we would not have been able to continue with our fight for an inquest. AAFDA has arranged everything for us and explained everything, so we understand what is happening or going to happen. We as a family could not have progressed without their help”.
On World Suicide Prevention Day 2024, we note the theme of ‘Changing the Narrative on Suicide’ and we know that where domestic abuse related suicide is concerned, this requires both adequate investment and systemic change. We welcome the new government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls and we ask that that includes both fully funding Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews and ensuring that the resources are in place to act on the recommendations arising from each review so that we can truly illuminate the past to make the future safer. Let’s #Start the Conversation.
- Walby, S. (2004), The cost of domestic violence.
- The voices of people who have attempted suicide or experienced suicidal feelings whilst living with domestic abuse - Tim Woodhouse
- https://www.vkpp.org.uk/news/report-reveals-scale-of-domestic-homicide-and-suicides-by-victims-of-domestic-abuse/
- https://www.agendaalliance.org/documents/138/Underexamined_and_Underreported_Briefing.pdf
- https://safelives.org.uk/about-domestic-abuse/what-is-domestic-abuse/facts-and-figures/prevalence-and-impact/
- https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/what-is-domestic-abuse/how-common-is-domestic-abuse/#:~:text=According%20to%20CSEW%20data%20for,police%20(ONS%2C%202023)
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