A British Mediacal Association (BMA) report has warned of an 'unspoken epidemic' of domestic abuse today.
Doctors should be on the look out for domestic violence injuries and women who visit emergency departments should be asked if they suffer from domestic abuse as doctors warn that this 'epidemic' is putting thousands of women and their children at risk.
The report states that there are an estimated 350,000 people in England and Wales who suffer from domestic violence costing £3.1 billion a year in health and legal costs.
80% of domestic violences cases are against women with 30% beginning during pregnancy, however men are victims of domestic violence too.
A worrying statistic discovered by the BMA survey was around 750,000 children witness domestivc violence each year.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson head of the BMA Science and Ethics, said: "The figures we provide in this report are shocking, but perhaps more alarming is that they are likely to be grosslt underestimated.
"Domestic abuse is an unspoken scar on our society and many individuals never report that they are victims. Sometimes this is because of the stigma or simply because they do not know who to turn to. Other times it can be because the victims are so vulnerable that they are not in a position to seek help.
"Doctors and other health professionals are well place to help victims and their families and our message to them today is, 'if you suspectabuse is taking place, it is important that you help your patient to discuss this.' It is also very important for doctors to realise that men can be victims too. Men are less likely to be believed and therefore they tend not to seek help."
The report goes on to suggest how this problem can be tackled; to protect women social workers, police, schools, housing agencies and courts need to start working together. Also domestic abuse education programmes should be put in place in all primary and seconday schools as well as the government introducing a 'zero - tolerance' attitude to domestic violence.