Don't hit my Mum

A documentary programme on BBC television this week (“Don’t hit my Mum”) highlighted the impact of domestic violence on children. It estimated that at least 750,000 children in the UK witness domestic violence at home each year.

Singer-songwriter, Alesha Dixon, spoke about her own experiences as a child of watching her mother being assaulted by a partner. She then interviewed children and young people about their own experiences and spoke with experts, and a perpetrator, about the impact of such violence on young lives. The programme highlighted the fear that violence creates, the lack of security, the compensating behaviours that children put in place, and the negative impact on their development and character.

This was a brave film that highlighted the impact of domestic violence on children in the UK and encouraged people to break the silence so that these situations can be changed. It also spoke to me about the value of preventing VAW, not just for the women themselves but also for the future generations whose lives and relationships are being damaged through abuse. Many of the children affected in the film were able to access professional help and to recover.