evidence: Reality: In the vast majority of cases, domestic abuse is experienced by women and perpetrated by men. A woman is killed by her male partner or former partner every four days in the UK England and Wales. In the year ending March 2023, data supplied from 28 police forces showed that the victim was female in 73.5% of domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by the police, compared with 26.5% of domestic abuse-related crimes where the victim was male (ONS, 2023a). Domestic abuse is a gendered crime that is deeply rooted in the societal inequality between women and men. [...] Reality: We know through our work over the last 50 years with survivors and local services that domestic abuse is very common. On average, one woman is killed by a male partner or ex-partner every week in the UK England and Wales. Domestic abuse has a higher rate of repeat victimisation than any other crime, and in the year ending December 2023, the police recorded a domestic abuse offence approximately every 40 seconds (ONS, 2024). [...] Nine in ten (92.5%) of rapes against women during the year ending March 2022 were carried out by someone they knew, and perpetrators were most likely to be an intimate partner (46.2%) (ONS, 2023c). On average, one woman is killed by a male partner or ex– partner every week in the UK England and Wales (ONS, 2023a).