Two charities have created a series of stock photos for journalists to use in a bid to dispel misconceptions about domestic abuse.
Scottish Women’s Aid and Zero Tolerance have united to launch the images, which can be used for free by media outlets.
The charities say newspapers and broadcasters often use images depicting physical violence with articles about domestic abuse, even though much of the abuse is not violent – comprising elements including bullying, controlling behaviour, intimidation, coercion, threats, psychological, emotional or financial abuse.
The series of 15 photos were taken by photographer Laura Dodsworth as part of her project ‘a thousand words’, and are based on the words and experiences of women who have lived through domestic abuse.
One of the images from the series by Laura Dodsworth
Brenna Jessie, of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: “So often at Women’s Aid we hear women question whether their experience counts as abuse – they have no black eye, they have no burst lip.
“A thousand words is important because we desperately want people to know that there is no hierarchy when it comes to abuse – whether it’s controlling behaviour, threats, humiliation, sexual or physical violence, it all counts and it is all real abuse.”
Lydia House, of Zero Tolerance, added: “Domestic abuse affects women of all classes, ages and backgrounds but current stock images don’t reflect this.
“With a thousand words publications have a real choice in the images they use to illustrate stories about domestic abuse. We hope to see a real step forwards in the depth and diversity of women’s stories represented by the media.”
The images can be downloaded for free here.
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Perhaps dispelling the myth that the only victims of domestic violence are women might be a good idea.
At worst, figures show that one in three victims of domestic violence is a man, but obviously certain groups keep pumping this sort of thing out.
‘We hope to see a real step forwards in the depth and diversity of women’s stories represented by the media.’
How about telling the whole truth, rather than keeping up this mantra so that charities focusing on women’s issues can keep getting government money, while ignoring more than a third of DV victims.
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agree with Observer. alcoholic woman in a blind rage, reaching for a knife from the draw, might be one picture. For the PC crowd I had better add that I detest any form of violence by men on women.
Otherwise the stock pix are a good idea. My wife once helpfully posed as a battered wife for a domestic violence article, the usual back of head shot with menacing man (me) looming well out of focus. We are still married!
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Observer – if you consider domestic abuse as requiring a gendered response – both men and women will benefit. All the national stats indicate a highly gendered crime – the 2015/16 ONS showed 44% of female homicide victims (femicides) were killed by a partner or ex-partner, compared with 7% of male victims. This stat is described as ‘counting dead bodies’ and evidences year on year that women are disproportionately victims of domestic abuse ending in death . Women are victims of male violence and this needs to end: blaming women’s charities for speaking out about male violence against women, and being awarded funding to help those in need is not going to help male victims. However, there are a small number of men’s organisations speaking out on behalf of men who work collaboratively with women’s organisations rather that competitively. These organisations do need to be supported and help raise funding for gender sensitive support for men IN ADDITION TO services for women..
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McLaughlin2020 – you’re absolutely right, up to a point.
But a dead person is a dead person, regardless of gender, or percentages.
So when I read “Domestic abuse affects women of all classes, ages and backgrounds but current stock images don’t reflect this.”
It actually affects PEOPLE of all types.
Until those PEOPLE are all given the same support, then using the words myth to only highlight the suffering of one group, does somewhat suggest it’s more propaganda than publicity.
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