STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Sandra Horley is chief executive of Refuge, domestic violence service provider in UK
- Domestic abuse has often been seen as a private matter, says Horley
- She says abuse often occurs in public situations and bystanders do nothing
Refuge opened the UK's first safe house for abused women and children in west London in 1971. Back then, domestic violence was still thought of as a private issue, to be dealt with behind closed doors. It was shrouded in myth and misunderstanding. Fast forward 42 years -- and sadly, it seems that very little has changed.
Domestic violence takes place every single day, in households across the globe. People often think that it only happens in poor families, but the truth is that domestic violence affects women of all ages, classes and backgrounds. Abusive men are as likely to be lawyers, accountants and judges as they are cleaners or unemployed.
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