Peace lecture on domestic violence
‘The Peace Lecture served as a powerful reminder of how far society has come in acknowledging domestic abuse – and how much further we must go.'
Coventry Quakers supported a peace lecture on domestic abuse earlier this month.
Mandy Sanghera, a human rights activist, spoke at Coventry Cathedral about her global work in this area, for the annual Coventry Lord Mayor’s Peace Lecture.
Jayne Ross, the domestic abuse programme manager from Coventry City Council, and Nushra Mansuri, a professor of social work from Coventry University, also contributed to the lecture, organised by Coventry Lord Mayor’s Peace Committee, which includes Quakers. This year’s theme was ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’.
The panellists described their experiences and some of the initiatives taking place in the city to combat domestic abuse, with young people and education a major focus. ‘Ms Sanghera shared insights from her work across more than 150 countries, highlighting the diverse forms and cultural nuances of domestic violence. Her message emphasised the global scale of the issue and the urgent need for international solidarity and action,’ said the committee. Meanwhile Jayne Ross discussed ‘the evolving recognition of domestic abuse within society and governance. She highlighted some key milestones – 1991, 1995, and 2017 – when legislation began to reflect societal awareness… Her remarks underscored the importance of partnership working, workforce development, and education.’
Nushra Mansuri explored the role of social research in understanding domestic abuse, and emphasised how terms like ‘control issues’ have emerged to describe complex behaviours.
‘The Peace Lecture served as a powerful reminder of how far society has come in acknowledging domestic abuse – and how much further we must go,’ said the committee.
The Office for National Statistics estimates that, for the year ending March 2024, eight per cent of people aged sixteen years and over experienced domestic abuse in the last year (equivalent to nearly four million people). This includes nine and a half per cent of women (two and a third million) and six and a half per cent of men (one and a half million).
However, Women’s Aid has pointed out that only 18.9 per of women who had experienced partner abuse in the year ending March 2023 reported it to the police, according to the Crime Survey of England and Wales data for that year.
