Journey graphs and trajectories of women’s domestic violence relocation in the United Kingdom

Tens of thousands of women and children in the UK relocate due to domestic violence. Beyond relocations caused by the abuser, journeys are shaped by policy, law, and practice. Whilst journeys can lead to resettlement and positive violence-free lives, the displacement and associated insecurities of housing, education, work and community can be considerable. Because of the hidden nature of the journeys, the scale is often under-estimated, with services and authorities only seeing fragments of the journeys. However, administrative data for a limited period in England recorded locations before and after service access; and is here analysed to produce measures of journey parameters and individual journey graphs. Examples of the diversity in trajectories are presented as evidence of the need for greater understanding of domestic violence journeys, and the consequent state and service responsibilities to build a more effective infrastructure (of policies, laws, services) to enable either staying put or journeying.