Domestic abuse is getting worse. Education alone isn't enough to stop it

The government is right to want teachers to tackle misogyny before it turns into violence. Training staff to spot harmful attitudes, challenge online radicalisation and teach consent – outlined in its recently published Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy – is necessary and overdue. But prevention in classrooms will fail if it is not matched by serious investment in mental health support for the women and girls already living with the consequences of abuse.

Because domestic abuse in Britain today is not only widespread, it is a leading driver of psychological trauma and a direct pathway into poverty, housing insecurity and homelessness for countless women. Much of this homelessness is hidden. Survivors are not always sleeping on the streets; they are sofa surfing, trapped in unsafe temporary accommodation, returning to abusive parents or staying with violent partners because trauma, disrupted work histories and depleted finances make leaving feel impossible.

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Domestic abuse is a national public health emergency, yet more women than ever are seeking help and being failed. Research by Woman’s Trust, which provides specialist mental health support for survivors, shows that half of all women who ask for trauma-informed mental health support after domestic abuse are turned away due to a lack of funding.

This doesn’t just affect wellbeing, it has life-or-death consequences. Survivors are four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts or attempts tied to abuse than those not exposed to domestic violence.

From my experience as a psychotherapist working with survivors, abuse is increasingly psychological, sexually violent and coercive. Women are trapped in rooms, threatened with rape, gaslit until they doubt their own reality. Control is exercised through fear, financial manipulation and psychological warfare.

Here’s something too many policymakers overlook: economic abuse is not peripheral. It actively drives poverty and homelessness. Research estimates that over one million UK women are trapped with dangerous partners due to economic abuse, with 36% experiencing mental health problems such as depression or suicidal thoughts, and 11% becoming homeless as a result.

Read more:

• No women should ever be sent to prison for enduring domestic abuse
• The hidden homelessness crisis is fuelled by the scourge of domestic abuse
• The government’s plan to protect domestic abuse survivors has big gaps

These statistics are not abstract. They form part of a bigger picture in which abuse, untreated trauma, poverty and housing insecurity are deeply intertwined. Trauma symptoms such as panic attacks and insomnia make it harder to sustain employment, manage finances or navigate housing systems. Without specialist mental health support, many women lose jobs and fall into rent arrears, pushing them further to the margins.

Nearly one woman in four will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime. Yet there is still no dedicated, nationwide mental health response tailored for survivors. Mental health support is not a luxury add-on; it is the foundation that enables women to rebuild their lives, stay in work and secure stable housing. The cost of this neglect is both human and economic.

One in five women takes time off work because of domestic abuse, and nine in 10 say it affects their performance. The NHS estimates that every £1 invested in community-based mental health support for women could save up to £11 in wider costs – a rare example of sound economics and sound public health going hand in hand.

Yet, even after emotional and psychological abuse was recognised in law, access to trauma-informed therapy remains out of reach for many.

The government’s new focus on schools must be viewed honestly. Teaching young people about consent and challenging toxic myths is vital. But education alone cannot address the trauma already inflicted, nor can it prevent survivors from falling into poverty or homelessness once abuse has already taken hold. And if the government is serious about halving violence against women and girls, it must recognise a simple truth: prevention without recovery is not justice. 

Domestic abuse is evolving. It is more psychological, more sexualised and more destructive. The government’s response must evolve too. Training teachers to challenge misogyny is a start. But until women’s mental health – and the role untreated trauma plays in driving poverty and hidden homelessness – are made core pillars of the VAWG strategy, backed by sustained funding for specialist trauma services, we will continue to fail survivors long after the classroom lesson ends.

Laura McCarthy is a psychotherapist and trustee at Woman’s Trust

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