Victims of domestic abuse have been reaching out for help in ever increasing numbers.

Research has revealed a significant rise in online searches relating to domestic violence during the lockdown.

Melanie Clarke suffered abuse from the start of her relationship at the age of 14. What began as emotional abuse later developed into extreme violence.

She says she can’t stop thinking about those feeling trapped in their homes by rules designed to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Speaking about her own experience, she said: “When I was pregnant with my third child he tried to kill me.

“He jumped on my back at five months pregnant and he choked me from behind until I lost the will to fight, and that’s when I decided I couldn’t take it anymore.

“I know what it means to be indoors with the perpetrator. You feel so lonely, you’re treading on eggshells all the time, they are starting arguments over trivial things.”

From February to March, traffic to the website for the National Domestic Abuse Helpline increased by 156%, according to a study by online research company SEMrush.

Searches for “what is domestic abuse?” rose by 46% in the same period, and there was a 64% rise in searches for the phrases “domestic violence shelter” and “domestic abuse shelter”.

Lisa King, from the domestic violence charity Refuge, believes this is a sign some women are identifying themselves as being victims of domestic abuse for the first time and “are now reaching out for support in a way that they haven’t done before”.

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