Barnardo's made its call in a report, Bitter Legacy, published last week.
It said that in nine out of ten cases children are present in the same or next room when violence takes place between their parents or guardians and that in half the cases of violence between adults, children fall victim to violence as well.
According to the report, in England and Wales more than 40 per cent of women killed were murdered by a current or former partner or lover, while more than half of all murders in Scotland were between partners. It said, 'Many public inquiries into the deaths of children have shown that the men responsible for the death of children have a history of violence towards their female partners.'
Barnardo's said it wanted to widen the debate about the protection of children beyond their physical and sexual abuse to the way they can be damaged as the unrecorded victims of violence in the home. Alan Coombe, Barnardo's principal policy officer, said, 'Even when the child is not physically hit, domestic violence is an abuse of children. It is pervasive and long-lasting.'
The report said signs to watch for in children as a result of violence at home included bedwetting, disturbed sleep, stomach aches and withdrawn behaviour.
Mr Coombe called for legislative changes to be incorporated into the Green Paper currently being drafted following the outcome of the inquiry into the murder of Victoria Climbie and said the national curriculum should provide education about relationships from 'a very early age'.
However, following publication of the report, Barnardo's received a letter from the Lord Chancellor's Department pointing out that the Adoption and Children Act 2002 had legislated to protect children from the emotional effects of domestic violence by amending the Children Act 1989. In section 31 of the Act, after the definition of 'harm', the following words have been inserted: 'including, for example, impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another'.
* From 15 to 23 February the BBC is running 'Hitting Home', a series of radio and television programmes about domestic violence and its effects on adults and children. See page 35 for details.
