Domestic Violence Cases Surge By Shocking Amount When England Lose A Football Match
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Charities against domestic violence are sharing advice and resources in the wake of the European championship final, as studies show incidents increase following football games.
The number of domestic violence cases can increase regardless of whether England win or lose, though the increase tends to be bigger following a loss like the one in the Euros final last night, July 11, when Italy beat England.
The domestic violence charity Refuge, which provides services for survivors, has noted that football matches or an increase in alcohol intake do not ’cause abuse’, stressing that it is ‘always a choice’, but making clear that ‘tournaments can aggravate pre-existing abusive behaviours’.
Earlier this month, a study published by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) found domestic abuse incidents grow by 5% every two hours after the final whistle is blown in a game, peaking at about 8.5% more incidents than average 10 hours after kick off, Insider reports.
Ria Ivandic, a lecturer in political economy at the University of Oxford and a research economist at CEP, reiterated Refuge’s comments as they said the results do not suggest sporting events trigger domestic abuse, but rather that the increase comes through ‘the excessive alcohol consumption that usually follows these events’.
In 2018, the UK’s National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) shared statistics that found domestic violence in England increases by 26% following a win for England, and 38% following a loss.
Hera Hussain, the founder of Chayn, a social enterprise which aims to support women impacted by gender-based violence, has stressed there needs to be a strategy in place to help combat the trends of domestic abuse.
Hussain told Insider:
There is a role for football stars to play about this. Ten years ago, racial slurs against footballers were just accepted. And now, football clubs are doing something about it.
They’re telling you the behavior they expect to protect their players from such abuse. We need a similar strategy when it comes to domestic abuse. Women and children deserve that. The recklessness, the brawls, the drinking, all should stop.
Social media users have been playing a part in helping to raise awareness for those who may be suffering in the wake of England’s loss, with many sharing the numbers for helplines and chatrooms.
Refuge has encouraged Twitter users to share its number and donate to the charity so it can ‘answer every call from a woman who needs us’ and ‘let survivors know they are not alone’.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247.
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