‘Pressure cooker homes’: Domestic abuse reports to leading abortion centre soars

Domestic abuse reports to a leading UK abortion provider surged by 23 per cent in recent years, new figures show.

Exclusive data, provided by MSI Reproductive Choices, a leading UK abortion provider, showed domestic abuse reports to their main call centre increased from 984 disclosures in 2020 to 1,206 cases in 2021.

The figures, given exclusively to The Independent, include reports of physical violence, coercive control, honour-based abuse, and psychological and emotional abuse.

Ailish McEntee, the organisation’s chief midwife for safeguarding adults and children, attributed the rise in reports to their contact centre One Call to the “fallout” from the pandemic.

Ms McEntee noted domestic abuse victims were trapped in “pressure cooker homes” during lockdown – with victims unable to “access the same support they had previously”.

“A lot of services shut down during that time,” she added. “GPs weren't doing face-to-face appointments. Kids weren't going to school. No one had their normal support networks. People weren’t able to disclose as easily as they would do because they weren’t having the opportunity.”

But Ms McEntee warned the domestic abuse reports they receive are only the tip of iceberg – also saying she has encountered some deeply harrowing abuse disclosures from women seeking abortion advice.

Ms McEntee said: “A young girl said, ‘My partner has taken the door off the bathroom, so that I’m not able to use the toilet in private, because he wants to control absolutely everything that I’m doing, and doesn’t want me to be in a safe space’”.

The midwife also said she has heard from women whose abusive partners have used weapons on them, or store weapons such as “guns, knives, and machetes” in the house.

Reproductive coercion is also a major issue, she added, noting it can centre around a partner forcing the woman into having a baby by blocking an abortion, or making her have a termination when she wants to continue with the pregnancy.

She said: “We get a lot of coercion into terminations. But also, we have a lot of people that come through who are being coerced into keeping a pregnancy.”

Ms McEntee said domestic abuse victims often become “desensitised” to the abusive situations they are in.

“You will hear someone say: ‘This is happening to me, but I’m safe, and I’m not at risk of harm’. And that is because that is the level of safety they are used to. Whereas it takes an outside person to be able to say: ‘This isn't right.’”

Claire* contacted the MSI UK call centre after discovering she was pregnant – disclosing the fact her ex-partner, who is the father of her son, was abusive towards her.

While the partner had been imprisoned in 2018, Claire told the service she felt at risk attending the abortion clinic in person as her ex-partner’s family and friends, who live near the abortion clinic closest to her, had been threatening her.

Fortunately, due to the rollout of at-home early medical abortion in the wake of the pandemic, Claire could take her abortion pills at home. MSI’s safeguarding team put her in touch with a local domestic abuse team – with police informed of the harassment and threatening behaviour she was enduring.

In another report to the contact centre, Ruby* explained she was concerned about keeping her pregnancy and abortion a secret from her family as a result of their religious beliefs. She also said her ex-husband was abusive – with a previous assault perpetrated by him leading to her young daughter ringing 999 and her experiencing a stillbirth.

*Names changed to protect identities

Anyone who requires help or support can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline which is open 24/7 365 days per year on 0808 2000 247 or via their website https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/