Women’s Aid responds to the first teenage suicide linked to domestic abuse recorded in England and Wales

Sarah Davidge, Head of Membership, Research and Evaluation at Women’s Aid, comments: 

 “The new data from the Domestic Homicide project, which for the first time, has identified a teenage girl dying of suicide as a result of domestic abuse, is incredibly disturbing.  

“Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on the mental health and wellbeing of survivors, and it is heartbreaking to see that this heinous crime is impacting a growing number of young women and girls. Sadly, young men and boys are increasingly exposed to violent and misogynistic content online, which further feeds into the harmful behaviours we know underpin violence against women and girls (VAWG). We know from our own research that those who have viewed such content are five times more likely to view hurting someone physically as acceptable if you say sorry afterwards. We also know that worrying behaviours indicative of controlling behaviour, including ‘love bombing’, stalking and the giving of unwanted gifts, are normalised by those who have been exposed to harmful content online.   

“We must do more to ensure that young people have access to reliable and trustworthy information about what constitutes a healthy relationship that is rooted in consent and mutual respect. We must also ensure that survivors are being heard and helped before they feel like it is too late. Every life lost is preventable and we owe it to the families of these girls and women to do better.”