Government figures show that an estimated 1.2 million women and 800,000 men are victims of domestic violence each year.
But if you witnessed an incident of domestic violence on the street, would you intervene?
A Swedish social experiment aiming to explore how members of the public react to staged scenes of domestic violence has received over three million hits on YouTube.
During the video, created by an organisation called STHLM Panda, a male actor swears at a female actor before physically abusing her.
Out of the 53 people who witnessed the staged incident, just one said: "I’m gonna call the police if you touch her again."
The majority of people remained completely silent.
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Konrad Ydhage, co-founder of STHLM Panda who acts in the video, told The Guardian: "We were expecting that about 50% would intervene.
"I was prepared to take a hit by the bigger lads who entered the lift. But sadly enough they walked out on the girl.”
In the news and on Twitter, many people have expressed the opinion that it's "sad", "disturbing" and "disgusting" that only one person directly intervened with the violent man.
But Woman's Aid say directly intervening with an incident of domestic violence is rarely the best way to help the situation.
“Domestic violence is very rarely a one-off incident - it’s a pattern of abusive behaviour, and if you see an attack it is likely that it has started before you see an incident and will almost certainly continue afterwards,' Polly Neate, chief executive of Women’s Aid tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle.
"If you see an incident of domestic violence, always call the police rather than intervening, as it could put you directly at risk. It could also make the abuse worse, or if the victim is frightened of her abuser she may also turn against you out of fear.
"However, just because we would advise not becoming directly involved doesn’t mean you should ignore it. By reporting domestic violence, you still have an important role to play.”
But if you witnessed an incident of domestic violence on the street, would you intervene?
A Swedish social experiment aiming to explore how members of the public react to staged scenes of domestic violence has received over three million hits on YouTube.
During the video, created by an organisation called STHLM Panda, a male actor swears at a female actor before physically abusing her.
Out of the 53 people who witnessed the staged incident, just one said: "I’m gonna call the police if you touch her again."
The majority of people remained completely silent.
Konrad Ydhage, co-founder of STHLM Panda who acts in the video, told The Guardian: "We were expecting that about 50% would intervene.
"I was prepared to take a hit by the bigger lads who entered the lift. But sadly enough they walked out on the girl.”
SEE ALSO:
Domestic Violence Against Men: Why We Need To Pay More Attention To Vulnerable Male
Topshop Fetishises Domestic Violence With Their New Jewellery Collection
ManKind's Domestic Violence Video Shows The Double Standards Between Male And Female Victims
In the news and on Twitter, many people have expressed the opinion that it's "sad", "disturbing" and "disgusting" that only one person directly intervened with the violent man.
Would you be brave enough to intervene in a public display of domestic violence? Sadly, most people don't http://t.co/RynUjCDBY5
— Cosmopolitan UK (@CosmopolitanUK) November 14, 2014one out of 53 people reacted to a domestic violence social experiment. that is disgusting.
— mlssjyngrwr (@mjgx_) November 15, 2014Disturbing YouTube video shows dozens ignoring domestic violence in a lift http://t.co/f6qNrG5bMu stand up and intervene
— Aaron Le Conte (@AaronLeConte) November 17, 2014But Woman's Aid say directly intervening with an incident of domestic violence is rarely the best way to help the situation.
“Domestic violence is very rarely a one-off incident - it’s a pattern of abusive behaviour, and if you see an attack it is likely that it has started before you see an incident and will almost certainly continue afterwards,' Polly Neate, chief executive of Women’s Aid tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle.
"If you see an incident of domestic violence, always call the police rather than intervening, as it could put you directly at risk. It could also make the abuse worse, or if the victim is frightened of her abuser she may also turn against you out of fear.
"However, just because we would advise not becoming directly involved doesn’t mean you should ignore it. By reporting domestic violence, you still have an important role to play.”