Some facts: 
A minimum of 750,000 British children and young people a year are witnesses to domestic abuse (BMA Board of Science, 2007).
In Scotland, children make up more than half the residents in refuge (Scottish Women's Aid).
Around 30% of domestic abuse starts during pregnancy (BMA Board of Science, 2007) and women who experience domestic abuse are twice as likely to experience a miscarriage (Kovacs et al., 2006).
On nine out of ten occasions, the child is in the same or the next room during attacks on their mother (ChildLine, 2004).
The National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland (2000) acknowledged the impact that domestic abuse can have on lives of children and young people; on their emotional well-being, their physical health, their education and their lifestyles. Children and young people affected by domestic abuse tell of their feelings of guilt, shame, anger, fear and helplessness.
The National Domestic Abuse Delivery Group was announced in September 2006 to address the issue of domestic abuse in Scotland in relation to children and young people.
You can find information about the work the Scottish Executive is doing to improve the protection of children and young people in Scotland on the Executive's Child Protection web pages.