A SPECIAL information bus coming to Tavistock on Thursday, November 23, will be remembering the survivors of domestic abuse and raising awareness of the issue. The event is all part of Domestic Violence Awareness Raising Week. It is being organised by the South Devon Women's Aid and South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon Domestic Violence Forum. The bus will be in Bedford Square in Tavistock from noon to 2pm. Peter Dale, the South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership Domestic Violence lead officer said: 'Domestic violence is one of the priorities of the partnership. 'It has been recognised that there are many sufferers of domestic violence' Although mostly women this includes men, who have suffered violence and abuse for many years and do not have the courage to report this abuse to the police. 'There are many agencies working together to encourage more reporting of this crime, offer support to those suffering and deal robustly with perpetrators.' l Domestic violence is the largest cause of death worldwide in women aged 19 - 44, greater than war, cancer or motor vehicle accidents l At least 750,000 children a year witness domestic violence in the UK. In 90% of domestic violence incidents children are in the same or the next room. In over 50% of known domestic violence cases, children were also directly abused l The cost of domestic violence on the criminal justice system is £1 billion per year, which represents one quarter of the total budget l Domestic violence claims the lives of two women each week and 30 men per year l Every minute in the UK the police receive a call from the public for assistance with domestic violence l Last year South Devon Women's Aid received over 3,000 calls to the Helpline and met with more than 200 women.
