A brace of staggeringly depressing — and frankly unacceptable — indicators of life for some in 21st Century Angus emerged this week.
Yes, we live in a county rich in many thing, from heritage to food, culture to commerce.
But two reports have laid bare the stark existence that some – too many – in our local communities endure.
A life of hardship or abuse. Often both.
No matter the years spent covering court, one could never become inured to the pernicious behaviour of domestic abusers.
Sadly, when I consider that area of offending, experience has borne out the findings in a report this week that, on average, a female victim will suffer 22 crimes before reporting her abuse to police.
That shock statistic emerged as police revealed domestic abuse remained on the rise in Angus, with 650 reports in the eight months to December last year.
Senior officers believe efforts to encourage women to come forward are bringing them out of the shadows where too many are forced to cower, so a rise in the figures should not necessarily be seen as a bad thing.
But, senior officers are fearful that the numbers are the tip of an iceberg.
Crucial and single-minded multi-agency work is being carried out to tackle the issue, but a pointer to the pressure the bodies involved are under came with the second unsettling release, relating to concerns around the “significantly worrying” scourge of poverty in Angus.
Shockingly, women’s aid chiefs say benefit changes have left some Angus mums so desperate that they take the option of remaining in an abusive relationship rather than extricating themselves from it because they fear they may not have enough money to support their children.
Let us hope the call from project leaders for the wider Angus community to support their efforts is not met with the silence in which many victims suffer.
So, this week, no Monday Matters frippery. Just a simple call for us all to look beyond the often couthy veneer of our historic county and consider what may lie beneath.
