The number of women who are driven to suicide by domestic abusers is being under-reported, and their cases overlooked by police, in what has been described by experts as a “national scandal”.

Domestic violence suicides are already growing at such a rate that a woman in an abusive relationship is now more likely to take her own life than be killed by a partner.

But research into the number of women who take their own life in such circumstances has suggested official statistics could track as few as 10% of the true number of cases.

According to the Domestic Homicide Project, a programme led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), there were 98 suspected suicides following domestic abuse in 2024, compared to 80 intimate partner homicides.

But research by a suicide prevention programme in Kent found that 33% of all suspected suicides in the region between 2018 and 2024 were affected by domestic abuse.

If the numbers in Kent reflect the national picture, it could mean as many as 900 victims of domestic abuse are taking their own lives every year – up to 10 times as many as previously thought.

Tim Woodhouse, the programme manager and a University of Kent academic, who led the research, said: “We need some sort of national taskforce to get a grip on this,” adding that it was “bonkers that we are basing national estimates on one researcher’s evidence”.

He said his work was “just trying to open people’s eyes that this is happening way more often than people think – it is, in terms of numbers, a national scandal”.

The data collected by the NPCC, he said, was a “good start”, but “they’re not counting very many of the right suicides, they’ve got very tight exclusion criteria so they’re massively underplaying the number”.

Recording domestic suicides is just one part of campaigners’ struggle to have causes of death in these cases more thoroughly investigated. It remains the case that there has only been one criminal conviction for manslaughter in UK legal history where a woman has died by suicide following domestic abuse.

Lawyers believe this number also shows coroners may have been too quick to dismiss deaths as suicides without properly considering whether they could be unlawful killings.

Campaigners have called for all suicides where domestic abuse is suspected to be investigated as potential homicides from the outset, in order to ensure the best evidence is collected and preserved, as well as more multi-agency work to protect victims from abusers in the first place.

To illustrate the scale of the crisis, the Guardian is publishing a series of pieces about the people, most of them women, who have died by suicide following domestic abuse.

In the case of Georgia Barter, her suicide after a decade-long campaign at the hands of her former partner Thomas Bignell was judged by a coroner to be unlawful killing.

An inquest in Walthamstow, north-east London, heard evidence that Bignell had kicked, stamped on and sexually assaulted Barter, but he was never charged with any offences in relation to his alleged abuse. Despite the coroner’s findings, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has previously said there is insufficient evidence to bring charges.

Today we also reveal the case of Katie Madden. At an inquest, her former partner Jonathon Russell admitted he had given Madden a black eye and, hours before her death, told her to commit suicide. No criminal investigation into Russell’s role in Madden’s death has been launched.

In many cases, prosecutors do not see a basis for investigating wrongdoing and fail to bring any criminal charges at all after a domestic abuse suicide. It means alleged abusers are rarely investigated for offences such as violence or coercive control – despite a wealth of evidence often being presented to a coroner in an inquest. Families have also found police have dropped domestic abuse investigations after the victim has died.

Pragna Patel of Project Resist said: “Too many bereaved families who have lost loved ones to domestic abuse-related suicides are being failed by a criminal justice system that is not fit for purpose.” Her organisation has brought together bereaved families to launch a campaign to seek changes in the criminal justice system.

“At the heart of the injustice is not the failure of training, the absence of ‘professional curiosity’ or the lack of laws, but a systemic culture of discrimination, arrogance, indifference and apathy,” she added.

More recently, there have been concerted efforts from the NPCC and the Crown Prosecution Service to bring charges in such cases.

There are now two men being prosecuted for manslaughter following a suicide after domestic abuse, and both organisations have stressed they are keen to bring more cases to court.

However, lawyers, campaigners and families have said there are issues with individual police forces and officers failing to understand the impact of domestic abuse or to adequately investigate cases immediately after a death.

“Sadly, police forces too often miss opportunities to disrupt escalating domestic abuse and protect victims,” Kate Ellis, the joint head of litigation at the Centre for Women’s Justice, said.

“Too often we see police forces failing to take any criminal action against perpetrators, or consider protective measures that could be put in place, even when domestic abuse cases are graded as high risk. These errors can have fatal consequences.”

“We believe that some domestic abuse-related suicides are preventable, particularly in cases where the police are on notice of the abuse,” she added. “Coercive and controlling relationships tend to follow similar patterns, so it is vital that police identify these patterns and act quickly.

“We are also concerned that many suicides in apparent domestic abuse contexts are not recognised or investigated by the police as potential homicides, even when there is significant evidence of prior domestic abuse.”

Southall Black Sisters has been campaigning for abuse-related suicide to be recognised as homicide for more than 40 years, and introduced an amendment in the crime and policing bill, supported by more than 50 MPs.

The organisation has specifically raised concerns about the possible overrepresentation of suicide driven by domestic abuse and “honour”-based abuse within Black, minority and migrant communities.

“Women in these communities have additional barriers to overcome in order to escape abuse caused by intersecting racism and misogyny,” Hannana Siddiqui, the director of policy, campaigns and research, said.

To date, there has only been one criminal conviction for manslaughter where a woman has died by suicide following domestic abuse. Nicholas Allen pleaded guilty to the charge in 2017 after his former partner Justene Reece took her own life. Allen had stalked her after she left him and moved to a women’s refuge.

In March, Ryan Wellings was cleared of the manslaughter of Kiena Dawes by a jury at Preston crown court. Dawes took her own life, leaving a note on her phone saying: “Slowly … Ryan Wellings killed me.” Wellings was convicted of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour, and jailed for six and a half years.

Georgia Barter’s mother, Kay, said: “It’s been almost six long heartbreaking years since I lost my beautiful daughter Georgia. Still the fight for justice goes on. I would like to ask this government ‘when did this country stop respecting or protecting women and girls?’ Now is the time to show them you care.”

She added: “The only successful conviction for manslaughter where a person’s partner died by suicide was in 2017 almost ten years ago. That is shocking. I’m sure I speak for myself and the countless grieving families out there – we demand change now.”

Frank Mullane from the campaign group Advocacy after Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA) said: “It might not be enough to rely on the police improving their investigations and the CPS optimising its prosecution, to ensure perpetrators face justice after domestic abuse related suicides.

“The defence team will exploit the merest mention of mental health difficulties and the jury may struggle to convict for manslaughter. A new law, specific to suicide caused by domestic abuse, will make it easier for the jury to identify causation. It will give confidence to the CPS to bring cases and it will educate the public.”