The evolving portrayal of domestic abuse in society: “I knew she was dangerous, but she flattered me and that was enough” – Donny Dunn in Baby Reindeer

Historically, societal attitudes and the justice system have understood domestic abuse in a very one-dimensional stereotypical manner, i.e. that it involved men, usually intoxicated, returning home from the pub and physically assaulting women. Whilst that form of abuse exists, there is a growing appreciation of the reality that domestic abuse has many more faces and victims. It can be far more nuanced, yet equally serious and harmful.

The evolution of the law

The law is taking great strides forward in this area. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduced a raft of changes, such as a new and broader statutory definition of domestic abuse (including controlling or coercive behaviour and economic abuse), a Domestic Abuse Commissioner and protections in the family and civil courts (including a ban on the cross-examination of victims by alleged abusers and access to special measures).

New criminal offences were introduced (including post-separation coercive control and threats to disclose private sexual images). The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has updated its guidance about prosecuting domestic abuse generally to reflect changes brought in by the statute, and the guidance on prosecuting controlling or coercive behaviour offences has been revised, such as to expressly acknowledge more subtle manipulation in the form of ‘love bombing’.

There is more to do

That said, those working within this field would say that there is still a long way to go in developing protections for victim/survivor and robust systems for identifying abuse. Critics perceive that whilst there has been progress, the Act has significant gaps and should go further (for example, there is inadequate protection for migrant women). In respect of the impact of domestic abuse on how couples divide their assets on separation and divorce, research is anticipated this autumn from Resolution, and the Fair Shares? project.

Awareness

Public and professional awareness of the vast and varying nature of domestic abuse is essential, and the role of media, books, films and television in developing that awareness is pivotal.

Some of the latest examples of the presentation of these issues include the 2024 Netflix adaptation of Richard Gadd’s autobiographical one-man show Baby Reindeer and US film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel It Ends with Us, which premiered in August this year. Baby Reindeer tells the true story of the stalking, harassment and violence endured by Scottish comedian Richard Gadd (‘Donny’) at the hands of a middle-aged woman (‘Martha’). Donny was already vulnerable after being seriously sexually abused some years prior by his TV writer mentor during drug-induced blackouts. The series navigates the modern realities of domestic abuse (including the role of technology), deviates from the stereotypical gender and perhaps age.