It is a disgrace that there has to be a Domestic Violence Awareness week in the first place, but sadly such a week is essential if we are ever to tackle this terrible scourge.

The awareness week begins today and Swindon’s Women’s Aid is teaming up with the Swindon Community Safety Partnership to keep this blight at the front of the public’s minds.

Quite why women (and men) are abused in the first place by partners who are no better than violent bullies is unanswerable. We all know that a leopard never changes its spots; once a man (or woman) has struck their partner, they will continue to do so regardless of any threats of imprisonment.

That’s why the public must at least show their support for those who are victims of violence by buying a white ribbon and wearing it throughout the week. There will be plenty of sellers on the streets of the town.

Or perhaps show your awareness by going to work in your pyjamas on Friday – having a bit of fun at the same time as showing you care about this worthy cause. It’s symbolic in that many women and their families have to leave an abusive home in the middle of the night, dressed in only their nightwear.

Better still, buy tickets for the Sixth Sense production at the Meca next Sunday, a play focussing on the issue of the domestic abuse prevalent in teenage relationships.

The more we know about this often hidden problem, the better equipped we all are to spot it and hopefully deal with it.