Research has shown that approximately one-third of contested financial remedy cases feature allegations of or a history of domestic abuse. More troubling findings come from research by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, revealing that over 80% of legal practitioners feel the Family Court is likely to retraumatise survivors of domestic abuse. Examples of this include litigation being used by a perpetrator as a form of sustained, post-separation abuse and survivors being forced to recount past experiences of abuse, which is trauma-inducing in itself.
Domestic abuse is now widely recognised and is defined in statute to cover more than just physical abuse. Importantly, the psychological impact of domestic abuse is increasingly acknowledged, but the long-term impact of physical injuries is the subject of a recent report by brain injury charity Brainkind.