I think we have trivialised crimes like race and sexual crimes to such an extent the serious ones aren't given the attention they deserve. If I think someone has made a racial slur about me that's enough to be counted in stats. Really, surely it should be what a reasonable person deems it to be and ideally proven! On the radio yesterday it said 1 in 5 kids witness domestic abuse physical or emotional. Is that Mum and Dad having a row? Unpleasant as it can be I think we have to know what we are talking about here. In moderate cases it can be good for kids to learn that people can have heated debates but stll be friends and that even Mum and Dad aren't perfect. These stats become meaningless.
Real abuse of children is unforgivable, but what are we talking about here?
My mother and father rowed all the time, I actually though it was funny, no matter what the row was about, the lines would come in at some point, mum would say your just like your mother, he'd say something about her mother, I could have written the script. I was never frightened I knew they loved me and each other really.
My teenage granddaughter had a row with her father recently and phoned me for sympathy. "Dad abused me when I was young", my heart went over wondering what terrible accusations she was going to make, "he smacked me". My answer was what did you do to deserve it then?