Great Britain: the government makes an earnest call on companies to identify domestic violence and improve support for victims

During the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 calls for domestic abuse services shot up 80%. In light of this and the ongoing trend in domestic abuse the government wrote an open letter to employers on 14 January 2021 encouraging them to mobilize and help employees suffering from domestic violence. This unprecedented initiative, being driven at a time when the U.K. is undergoing a fresh ‘lockdown’, follows a government consultation carried out in the latter half of 2020 on this issue (c.f. article No.11994). The results of the survey indicated that few employers currently know how to recognize signs of domestic violence, while even fewer have a company policy to help the employees concerned.