Increased media coverage of domestic violence during lockdown led to surge in calls from abusers seeking help to stop, says charity

The Respect phone line, set up as an outreach for anyone evaluating whether their behaviour towards partners and family members constitutes abuse, says it also saw a 64 per cent rise in emails in May, compared with the same month the year before.

One of the charity's chiefs meanwhile has said that increased media coverage surrounding the issue of domestic abuse meant that perpetrators and victims were more likely to recognise the signs and pick up the phone.

The trend corroborates the rise in calls to helplines from victims of domestic violence and abuse during lockdown.

Refuge, the UK's biggest charity for victims domestic abuse, said in July that it had already seen 40,000 calls since March 23 and that June alone saw a 70 per cent rise in calls from the year before.

More locally, York-based Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS) says it saw the number of calls rise by 10 per cent week-on-week during the lockdown - spiking in one week by 69 per cent.

Ippo Panteloudakis, Head of Services at Respect, said that while the charity's surge in calls "could not have been predicted" back at the start of lockdown, he was pleased to see that potential abusers were seeking guidance.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post, he said: "In March, we actually saw a small decrease in calls. Then, as we entered into lockdown we started noticing the impact.

"There was also increased media coverage of the issue of domestic abuse and this likely impacted on the number of people ringing us - people were seeing these stories and ringing us to say, 'I've been violent to my partner, what should I do?'"

Approximately 75 per cent of the calls from perpetrators received by Respect are from men, while one in four are women.

This week, Respect launched its 'Draw the Line' campaign, using social media to reach out to anyone acting abusively, either through violence and intimidation or by controlling behaviour and manipulation, urging them to stand back and consider the consequences.

"We know that deep down, abusers are aware they are doing something wrong. When you see fear in your partner's eyes you cannot be content with that, yet you find excuses to minimise your behaviour in your own eyes.

"There is something you can do about it - violence and abuse is not inevitable."

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