Experts demand policy reform on young male domestic abuse

01 Nov 2013 A new report published this week calls for the Government to support wholesale reform of how the authorities deal with young men who commit domestic abuse. The report outlines the disturbing findings of a three-year study led by Professor David Gadd from The University of Manchester and Dr Claire Fox, from Keele University. Over half of the 13 and 14-year-olds surveyed have already experienced domestic abuse, whether as victims, witnesses or perpetrators. A quarter carried out at least one abusive act - often emotional abuse or controlling behaviour - against a boyfriend or girlfriend. But according to the report, young people below the age of 18 rarely receive any specialist intervention, aside from 'anger management'. It calls for a nationally coordinated service of professional mentoring, which continues into subsequent dating relationships and beyond the period of conventional criminal justice sanctions. Help, it adds, needs to be made available to those who have not been arrested or prosecuted for offences involving violence towards a partner and should not be left until after alcohol or drug problems are resolved.