Domestic Violence costs London almost £1bn a year
New analysis by Trust for London and the Henry Smith Charity estimates the costs of domestic violence to the public purse in London to be £918 million per year - the equivalent of £2.5m every day.
The figures reveal the huge financial impact domestic violence has across every London borough and the stress it puts on everything from housing and the NHS to social services. In a climate of cuts, a reduction in specialist domestic violence services would be a false economy. Boroughs with the highest estimated costs include Wandsworth (£38.4m), Barnet (£38m) and Ealing (£38m).
The release of these figures is timed to coincide with the launch of the evaluation report of our Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy special initiative, developed in partnership with the Henry Smith Charity. The evaluation, undertaken by Dr Maddy Coy and Professor Liz Kelly of the highly respected Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit at London Metropolitan University, showed that support to high-risk victims can enhance safety and reduce repeat incidents. It also calculated that an independent domestic violence advocate costs on average just £500 to support each client at high-risk of serious injury or death.
Find out more about our Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy special initiative.
Download the evaluation report here.
Read this story in the Evening Standard. It was also covered by BBC London 94.9fm Drivetime.
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