Soaring levels of domestic abuse during coronavirus lockdown has led to 16 killings, according to campaigners.
The horrific statistic is far higher for the national average this time of year, it has been revealed.
Karen Ingala Smith, the founder of Counting Dead Women, which records the number of women killed by men in Britain, has said there have been at least 16 killings between March 23 and April 12.
Horrific: The death toll due to domestic abuse in the coronavirus lockdown has soared to 16 killings
The domestic abuse death toll includes also children.
Smith’s data records an average of five deaths over the last decade, it was revaled by the Guardian.
Her shock findings for 2020, which are based on internet searches and people contacting over social media, were put forward as evidence to the home affairs select committee on Wednesday.
Dame Vera Baird QC, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, told MPs at the remote session: ‘Counting Dead Women has got to a total of 16 domestic abuse killings in the last three weeks.
‘We usually say there are two a week, that looks to me like five a week, that’s the size of this crisis.’
Calls to domestic abuse charities and campaigners have surged and demand for online services has increased since the lockdown conditions were imposed as has been the case in other countries.
‘Five a week’: Dame Vera Baird has raised fears over the number of women being killed in domestic abuse cases
Smith, who is also chief executive of a domestic abuse charity, said: ‘I don’t believe coronavirus creates violent men.
‘What we’re seeing is a window into the levels of abuse that women live with all the time.
‘Coronavirus may exacerbate triggers, though I might prefer to call them excuses.
‘Lockdown may restrict some women’s access to support or escape and it may even curtail measures some men take to keep their own violence under control.
‘We have to be cautious about how we talk about increases in men killing women.
‘Over the last 10 years, in the UK, a woman has been killed by a man every three days, by a partner or ex-partner, every four days.
‘So if this was averaged out, we might expect to see seven women killed in 21 days. In reality, there are always times when the numbers are higher or lower.
‘But we can say that the number of women killed by men over the first three weeks since lockdown is the highest it’s been for at least 11 years and is double that of an average 21 days over the last 10 years.’
Highest level: Covid-19 lockdown has led to the highest level of domestic abuse in at least 11 years and is double of the average 21 days over the last decade
Smith’s research shows at least seven people have been allegedly killed by partners or former partners during the period, while three people have been allegedly killed by their father.
The committee also heard evidence from Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales.
She said time limits on investigating crimes would need to be relaxed to allow survivors of violence in the home to report perpetrators once the coronavirus restrictions were eased.
‘I have heard from police about the need to extend the time by which people can report crimes.
‘There are people who are experiencing abuse right now who aren’t able to call the police because it wouldn’t be safe for them,’ said Jacobs.
‘But they may well want to report a crime later so we need to allow for some extension to what the normal timescales would be for that kind of thing.’
Crimes that are ‘summary only’, which means that they can only be tried at a magistrates court, including common assault and harassment, must be prosecuted within six months.
But Jacobs said services must prepare for the ‘inevitable surge’ of domestic abuse victims seeking support following the lifting of the Covid-19 lockdown.
She said there were concerns some of the millions of pounds of government funding pledged for the charity sector may struggle to reach small local charities that supported specific groups.
‘We need to allow those charities to quickly and very simply bid in and get the funds they need to sustain what they are doing, but also plan for the inevitable surge that we will have,’ she said.
‘There will be people that are waiting and trying to survive every day and then will access support as quickly as they can when some of the lockdown is lifted,’ she told MPs.
In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org