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All forms of domestic violence are abhorrent. All are dangerous. Yet research is emerging that suggests one act of violence in particular is a red flag that a woman is at an increased and immediate risk of death.
The chilling statistic women need to know
Professor Heather Douglas works in the Law School of the University of Queensland. She is a domestic violence researcher and project co-ordinator the National Domestic and Family Violence Bench Book, which aims to promote legal best practice around issues of family violence. She told Kidspot why certain women were at much higher risk when it comes to choking or strangulation.
“If women have experienced strangulation - that is, if their partner has put their hands around their throat and made them struggle to breathe for even a second or two, those women are at very high risk,” she explains. “The statistics suggest that they are some 700 to 800 times more likely to be killed or experience serious violence in the coming weeks.”
She emphasised the importance of phone support services such as 1800Respect in identifying and offering urgent help to these high-risk victims.
“If someone reports to a hotline that they’ve been strangled by their partner, that would send the hotline into overdrive to try and work out safety for that person.”
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This medical information could save a life
Perhaps even more terrifying than the statistics is the fact that a non-lethal strangulation can cause life-threatening complications even weeks after the event. That’s why seeking medical attention is so important for anyone who has been attacked in this way.
“A lot of these strangulation attempts don’t result in any injury that’s visible at all”, Professor Douglas continues. “Women will feel perfectly fine, and yet four days - or even weeks later - they can have a stroke as a result of that strangulation.”
“It’s really, really important for people who have experienced strangulation to see a doctor and explain to the doctor that they have experienced this, so that they can have an MRI and various other tests to ensure they are not at further risk.”
“We’ve got high levels of brain injury as well, that can result from non-fatal strangulation, so I say again: it is very, very important for women who have experienced this to see a doctor. Even if they feel fine, or they feel it was a minor incident and they don’t believe they lost consciousness - they should still see a doctor.”
The increased likelihood of another, fatal attack taking place, as well as the potential medical complications of suffering a choking attack mean that women in this situation are in immediate and serious danger. By sharing this information, you might just save a life. You never know who needs to read it.
If you need help: For 24-hour support phone Queensland’s DVConnect on 1800 811 811 or Men’s Line on 1800 600 636, NSW’s Domestic Violence Line on 1800 656 463 or the national hotline 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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