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| The Archers storyline: Have you been affected by domestic violence? | The Archers storyline: Have you been affected by domestic violence? |
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| A female character in BBC Radio 4’s drama The Archers stabbed her abusive husband in an end to a yearlong storyline on domestic violence. | A female character in BBC Radio 4’s drama The Archers stabbed her abusive husband in an end to a yearlong storyline on domestic violence. |
| Public reaction has been mixed. To some, The Archers episode on Sunday was an unnerving wake-up call on the issue of domestic violence, prompting fans of the show to raise more than £90,000 for the shelter Refuge. But to others it presented an unrealistic and sensational portrayal, with some critics arguing that it is more likely that victims die rather than their abuser. | Public reaction has been mixed. To some, The Archers episode on Sunday was an unnerving wake-up call on the issue of domestic violence, prompting fans of the show to raise more than £90,000 for the shelter Refuge. But to others it presented an unrealistic and sensational portrayal, with some critics arguing that it is more likely that victims die rather than their abuser. |
| Refuge’s chief executive, Sandra Horley, said: “This episode tells us that a victim of prolonged abuse may one day fight back when she is in great danger. Helen’s situation mirrors what so many abused women feel and experience every day. It is important to remember that research shows an abused woman is at most risk at the point of separation. | Refuge’s chief executive, Sandra Horley, said: “This episode tells us that a victim of prolonged abuse may one day fight back when she is in great danger. Helen’s situation mirrors what so many abused women feel and experience every day. It is important to remember that research shows an abused woman is at most risk at the point of separation. |
| “This storyline simply reflects the reality for many women today and I congratulate the script writers for highlighting a much ignored issue.” | “This storyline simply reflects the reality for many women today and I congratulate the script writers for highlighting a much ignored issue.” |
| Related: The Guardian view on domestic abuse: truth, fiction and The Archers | Editorial | Related: The Guardian view on domestic abuse: truth, fiction and The Archers | Editorial |
| Guardian reader redundantoldbat, who escaped an abusive relationship of 20 years, shared her experience and the importance of a middle class character being the victim of domestic violence. | Guardian reader redundantoldbat, who escaped an abusive relationship of 20 years, shared her experience and the importance of a middle class character being the victim of domestic violence. |
| “I am disappointed by this turn in the story because it might well reinforce the idea that women in this situation are powerless and the only escape is by killing or injuring their abuser. If Helen had been shown as leaving during the day, going to a refuge or just picking up Henry and going home to her parents or her brother, then this might have been helpful. | “I am disappointed by this turn in the story because it might well reinforce the idea that women in this situation are powerless and the only escape is by killing or injuring their abuser. If Helen had been shown as leaving during the day, going to a refuge or just picking up Henry and going home to her parents or her brother, then this might have been helpful. |
| “Otherwise I thought the portrayal of an educated middle class woman being subjected to this treatment might have helped women to understand that it can happen to them, and that leaving is very difficult because what they do first is destroy your self-esteem and convince you that you are crazy, inadequate, evil and unable to manage. It was also well portrayed in that others didn’t notice what was happening,” she said. | “Otherwise I thought the portrayal of an educated middle class woman being subjected to this treatment might have helped women to understand that it can happen to them, and that leaving is very difficult because what they do first is destroy your self-esteem and convince you that you are crazy, inadequate, evil and unable to manage. It was also well portrayed in that others didn’t notice what was happening,” she said. |
| Guardian reader Karen disagreed, instead praising the show’s handling of the issue: “Anyone who has lived through, or seen a relationship like this first-hand, will know that it is not sensationalised in the least. Most lines Rob has said to Helen over the past few years have been taken directly from accounts from victims of domestic abuse. | Guardian reader Karen disagreed, instead praising the show’s handling of the issue: “Anyone who has lived through, or seen a relationship like this first-hand, will know that it is not sensationalised in the least. Most lines Rob has said to Helen over the past few years have been taken directly from accounts from victims of domestic abuse. |
| “Last night’s episode was one of several endings that do happen in real life. Not the most common, perhaps, but it’s not unheard of,” she said. | “Last night’s episode was one of several endings that do happen in real life. Not the most common, perhaps, but it’s not unheard of,” she said. |
| Critics argued that The Archers presented a narrow view of domestic violence, and that the reach of the show, and therefore the response to it, wasn’t inclusive: the average age of a listener is 56. And in real life, escaping an abuser doesn’t end with a cheery soundtrack; victims will carry the memories for ever, with some never fully recovering from the abuse. | |
| But what this 14-minute show has done is offer us the opportunity to start a conversation about an issue that affected 1.4 million women in Britain in 2014. Two women a week are killed in England and Wales by a current or former partner, and 500 victims of recent domestic abuse commit suicide every year, according to the charity Women’s Aid. And although one in four women experience violence in their lifetime, it is estimated that only 35% of all incidents are reported to the police. | But what this 14-minute show has done is offer us the opportunity to start a conversation about an issue that affected 1.4 million women in Britain in 2014. Two women a week are killed in England and Wales by a current or former partner, and 500 victims of recent domestic abuse commit suicide every year, according to the charity Women’s Aid. And although one in four women experience violence in their lifetime, it is estimated that only 35% of all incidents are reported to the police. |
| Related: Playing Helen in the Archers, I hope to show domestic abuse can happen to anyone | Louiza Patikas | Related: Playing Helen in the Archers, I hope to show domestic abuse can happen to anyone | Louiza Patikas |
| Domestic violence and violence against women has increased since 2009, a team led by Sylvia Walby, Unesco chair in gender research and professor of sociology at Lancaster University, found. Yet over the past six years, the UK has seen devastating cuts to local authority funding for domestic violence prevention, intervention and support services as evidenced by the closure of 32 specialist refuges in England between 2010 and 2014 and a reduction in services. | Domestic violence and violence against women has increased since 2009, a team led by Sylvia Walby, Unesco chair in gender research and professor of sociology at Lancaster University, found. Yet over the past six years, the UK has seen devastating cuts to local authority funding for domestic violence prevention, intervention and support services as evidenced by the closure of 32 specialist refuges in England between 2010 and 2014 and a reduction in services. |
| The Council of Europe recommends that there is one family place in a refuge per 10,000 of the population; the UK runs on a 32% shortage according to a Women’s Aid report. In 2013, 10,000 women and 10,000 children sought support from the 200 domestic violence refuges in England, but nearly a third of referrals in 2013-14 were turned away because of a lack of space. | The Council of Europe recommends that there is one family place in a refuge per 10,000 of the population; the UK runs on a 32% shortage according to a Women’s Aid report. In 2013, 10,000 women and 10,000 children sought support from the 200 domestic violence refuges in England, but nearly a third of referrals in 2013-14 were turned away because of a lack of space. |
| Domestic violence is not confined to just women as victims; it reaches across all demographics: gender, age, ethnicity, faith, relationship type, and socioeconomic status. And it can take any shape: psychological, emotional or physical. | Domestic violence is not confined to just women as victims; it reaches across all demographics: gender, age, ethnicity, faith, relationship type, and socioeconomic status. And it can take any shape: psychological, emotional or physical. |
| We’d like you to be part of the Guardian’s coverage and conversation on domestic violence. If you have an experience you’d like to share you can fill in the form below anonymously. And if you work in domestic violence services we’d like to hear what your job is like, especially in an era of cuts. You can alternatively email: carmen.fishwick@theguardian.com | We’d like you to be part of the Guardian’s coverage and conversation on domestic violence. If you have an experience you’d like to share you can fill in the form below anonymously. And if you work in domestic violence services we’d like to hear what your job is like, especially in an era of cuts. You can alternatively email: carmen.fishwick@theguardian.com |