Victims of domestic violence living in and around Ongar and North Weald are to be encouraged not to suffer in silence any longer.

A new information pack designed to help victims find a way out of their predicament has been put together by the Epping Forest Domestic Violence Action Group in partnership with the district council.

In addition to listing the different agencies that work with victims of domestic violence, the pack indicates the kind of advice they can expect to receive from police, social services, and other bodies. It also encourages them not to suffer in silence.

Explaining the thinking behind the pack, EFDC crime reduction coordinator Simon Ford said: "The pack provides victims of domestic violence with guidance on what to do and where to go. It gives practical advice and contact numbers of where to get help for anyone in a violent relationship."

Emphasising that domestic violence is a crime Mr Ford, who also chairs the Domestic Violence Action Group, added: "We wanted to raise awareness of the level of domestic violence. A lot of the time incidents go unreported and our aim is to bring the subject out into the open.

"The number of reported incidents is just the tip of the iceberg.

Victims often feel at fault themselves. They often think it's just a police matter and that there's no-one else there to help them.

"But there are a lot of other agencies that deal with domestic violence, including victim support groups and social services. The police have got specially-trained officers who deal with domestic violence and who work closely with victim support services."

Mr Ford added that the Domestic Violence Action Group had been formed partly in response to shocking national statistics first unveiled two years ago. These include the claims that:

Domestic violence accounts for a quarter of all recorded violent crime in England and Wales.

Forty-five percent of female murders are found to have been committed by a present or former partner of the victim.

More than ten percent of women in England and Wales have experienced domestic violence in the last year.

Of the cases that are reported to police, victims on average claim to have suffered up to 35 separate incidents before coming forward.

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