Violent women turning tables MORE women are turning the domestic violence tables in Bolton . . . and beating up their husbands.

The shock news has been given by a Bolton organisation after a Home Office announcement that £6million will be made available to agencies tackling domestic violence against women, rape and sexual assault, in a campaign called Living Without Fear.

Bolton organisations will be able to bid for the cash which will be used to prevent violence against women, bring perpetrators to justice and provide support and protection.

Victim Support will receive a £6.3m boost nationwide to help victims through the legal process.

But Lesley Daniels, from the Bolton branch of Victim Support, warns that more cases of battered husbands are emerging as women, quite literally, take the upper hand.

And girl gangs are now regularly terrorising ordinary local residents in mugging incidents.

According to Lesley, the problem of husband beating is emerging in Bolton households, with its own set of difficulties.

She gave the example of the 6ft 4in man who is being attacked by his 5ft 3in wife.

"How are you going to get over that?" she asked. "How is your employer going to understand that?"

Fortalice, Bolton's hostel for battered women and their children, is also contacted "from time to time" by men, explained spokeswoman Arlene Cochrane.

"We have a counselling service and we get enquiries from men about that," she said. 'Zero tolerance' of domestic violence A NEW Government initiative to deal with domestic violence has been welcomed as "positive action" by local agencies.

Already, although violent crime is getting worse, women are now more likely to report it, say experts following the launch of the £6 million Home Office campaign, Living Without Fear.

Lesley Daniels from the Bolton branch of Victim Support said: "That's in no small measure down to the agencies.

"Anything we can do to make women feel more secure and safe is good. Living Without Fear is positive action - but it's going to need a lot more as well.

"It's about letting women know there are agencies around that have advice.

"And we are going back to education and getting it into schools - even primary schools - that domestic violence isn't acceptable. With violence it's got to be zero tolerance."

Taboo

Last week alone, they had 15 "referrals" of battered women from other organisations and four women about to leave their violent husbands have been in touch.

Fortalice accommodated 39 women and 48 children between April and the end of last month. At the same time, 239 women attended the 13 drop-in sessions held.

Spokeswoman Arlene Cochrane said the improved police attitude and increased publicity have helped break the taboo of domestic violence.

Yet too many cases are still going unreported, according to Victim Support.

So what makes a woman stay in a violent relationship?

The partners of the women, Lesley Daniels explained, aren't all drunken thugs but come from all levels of society - including policemen, doctors, solicitors.

"A lot of these women don't do anything about it because they don't know where to start or how to get away.

"We also find that a lot of women still believe that it must be their fault." Lesley said that, on average, 35 incidents take place before a woman decides to leave the violent partner.

The whole issue is, she said, a complicated one. These women have problems with self-esteem, fear of the husband, isolation and worry about having to start life again on their own, the children having to change schools and so on.

"They have lost faith in everything and everyone, they usually cope on autopilot.

"The worst thing they can do is make a bungled attempt to escape - then they are in grave danger and so are the children.

"If you can hear your mum getting a slap once a week, then you the children are living in terror." Report tackles 'growing' rape and sexual assault LIVING Without Fear is also concerned with rape and sexual assault.

Reported figures have gone up nationally and Lesley Daniels stressed the importance of the St Mary's rape crisis centre in Manchester, where women can refer themselves rather than having to be referred to the police.

"Rape is one of the worst acts of violence perpetrated. People are walking round and committing these acts and it's quite often not a one-off."

At Victim Support, they hear date rape is a growing problem. The figures on men forcing women to have sex by whatever means are "terrifying", said Leslie.

As a precautionary measure, a personal alarm, carried in the hand rather than handbags, is worth investing in.

Lesley said: "Education is essential, accessing facilities and information on how to look after yourself - driving home the message that it isn't safe to walk in certain areas to take short cuts." 10 FACTS ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 1. Every week two women are killed by their current or former partners;

2. One in four women experiences domestic violence at some stage in their life;

3. Women can be sent to up to 10 organisations before getting help;

4. Reported rape has risen by 165pc in the last 10 years;

5. Domestic violence often starts or escalates during pregnancy;

6. One in five workers are subject to violent attack at work;

7. One third of young men thought they would force a woman to have sex under certain circumstances;

8. One in two women feel unsafe when walking alone at night in their area;

9. Some 70pc of women under 30 are worried about rape;

10. Women aged 16 to 29 are at greatest risk of experiencing domestic violence.

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