Blog 4: Teenage victims of domestic violence targeted as definition is extended

The definition of “domestic violence” has recently been officially changed. “Coercive control” is included in the most recent version of the definition, which makes the term much more broad than it was before. The definition for domestic violence that has been used by government departments, prosecutors, police, and immigration authorities since 2004 defines this as being threatening behavior between adults who have been either intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. This definition also refers to female genital mutilation and forced marriage. Young people under the age of 18 are not included even though the results of a recent survey determines that young people are more likely to be involved in, and victims of, domestic violence. Within one year 12.7% of women and 6.2% of men between ages 16 and 19 have admitted to being victims of domestic abuse. Until now, any type of violence committed against a person under the age of 18 would be categorized as child abuse. This has resulted in the acceptance of abuse in relationships between young people. In a 2009 survey regarding abuse, 75% of the girls surveyed, who had a partner at least two years older than them, have experienced a form of physical violence.
Redefining the term is important because it will lead to more sever punishments for the people that are abusive to young people. I feel like children being victims of abuse is more of a big deal than adults being victims of abuse because of how fragile children are. They are not as emotionally and mentally developed as adults. Because of this, child victims may experience an impact that will last a lifetime. This article is good news because every type of victim should have the right kind of support.