Whispers of Hurt: Seeing Abuse Through the Eyes of a Child

Throughout my journey as a General Practitioner, I have always been committed to supporting vulnerable individuals experiencing domestic abuse in my practice. Repeatedly, I've encountered victims who, for various reasons, hesitate to seek the essential support they require.

Domestic abuse is more than a crime; it's a distressing issue of safeguarding. It's a recurring cycle that leaves enduring mental and physical scars. Many survivors of abuse seek medical assistance, often receiving unnecessary tests and treatments that overlook the underlying problem. This cycle also impacts children, who may carry its effects into adulthood.

In an effort to raise awareness among healthcare professionals and society, I collaborated with Hiyos ('Healthy In Your Own Skin'), an advocate for health equality. The 2021 Domestic Abuse Act emphasized that children, even if not direct victims, suffer from witnessing or experiencing its effects. With this insight, we chose to convey our message through a child's perspective, confident it would resonate within our community. Our joint efforts resulted in a powerful video and an insightful blog to shine a light on the issue: Children who see domestic abuse are victims too.

The process of developing this resource involved gathering facts to create a sensitive and precise narrative. The team focussed on crystallising our core message and infusing empathy into every frame for audience engagement. With the subject's sensitivity in mind, the team skilfully balanced visuals, music and sound to create an evocative portrayal while maintaining its seriousness. We also made sure to provide information about support resources for victims, aiming to empower those affected to seek the assistance they deserve.

Our goal is simple: to share this impactful video across social media platforms, websites and relevant organizations. With every engagement, we inch closer to educating, enlightening and nurturing empathy and understanding. Our message stands strong – abusive behaviour is unacceptable, intolerable, and must cease. Together, we hold the power to drive change, ushering in a future free from abuse and illuminated with hope.

Please watch the video, read the blog, and share the message - because no one should have to endure the whispers of hurt alone.

Research to help identify and support victims experiencing abuse

Understanding public and patient perceptions about domestic abuse is vital, as it would help develop targeted interventions and effective public policies to tackle this rising problem in society. Various reports highlight that cases of domestic abuse have increased since the advent of covid-19 and ensuing lockdowns. Domestic abuse is also considered as one of society’s “wicked” problems- as it is not something that you could just throw money at and wish it would go away. To help address this, I am working closely with the Self-Care Academic Research Unit (SCARU) as part of the NWL Research Trailblazers Group initiative on a national eSurvey and interview-based study to raise awareness about domestic abuse and explore the use of short screening tools during routine health and social care touchpoints. The study recruited over 28,000 participants from across the UK.

 Our first paper revealed that whilst community-dwelling adults acknowledge the impacts of abuse, many fail to recognise specific instances or events in their daily lives contributing to domestic abuse. To address this, we proposed strategies such as raising public awareness, particularly among children through the school curriculum, highlighting existing support services, and introducing the routine use of short screening tools for domestic abuse in health and social care settings. These measures can increase awareness, facilitate early identification, and provide pathways to effective interventions. Additionally, we recommend sustained, multi-level community-facing interventions to reduce the stigma and fears associated with domestic abuse. We are currently analysing the results from NHS patient-facing study.