ONE in four Kirklees residents have experienced domestic violence.

A bid to encourage victims of domestic abuse to seek help earlier has got under way as Kirklees Council and local support groups work together to form a new Domestic Abuse Strategy.

Sue Richards, assistant director of well-being at Kirklees Council, said victims of domestic abuse often experienced 35 incidents before seeking help.

She said: “We can’t change that overnight, but we can start to chip away at bringing down the number of victims through early intervention work.”

The council and Pennine Domestic Violence Group, which runs four refuges in Kirklees, spoke at this week’s Huddersfield Area Committee.

Clr Judith Hughes, chair of the committee, said: “The incidents of domestic abuse are much more common than people think.

“What we hope to achieve is to change people’s attitudes, take away the stigma and encourage victims to see that it’s not just a private matter and people can seek help.”

Sue Richards added: “The statistics appear contradictory – that’s because a lot goes unreported and there’s an ever-changing picture.

“The figures show that 22,000 men and 37,000 women in Kirklees have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 13. That could be as a child witnessing it in the family home or from a partner.

“Around 950,000 children nationally have witnessed domestic abuse – it’s something which does affect a lot of families.”

People at the meeting were told the cost of domestic abuse to the national economy is somewhere between £15.7bn and £36.7bn.

Sue added: “The next step is to create a Domestic Abuse Strategy which will focus on early intervention work. Prevention is much better than a cure. For a start it will mean there are fewer victims which is something we’re all working towards.”

Feedback from the Area Committee and wider consultation work will form part of the council’s strategy.

Both Clr Hughes and Sue Richards agreed the council cannot tackle domestic violence alone.

Clr Hughes said: “We need everyone working together. It’s a community issue and we need the community and support services working together and more joined up.”

Ideas from the meeting included encouraging family and friends of victims to contact support services and highlighting the range of support in more locations.

Contact Pennine Domestic Violence Group on 01484 308307 or via www.pdvg.org