THOUSANDS of children are likely to be exposed to domestic abuse this Christmas, the Early Intervention Foundation charity warns in a report published today.

The charity, which supports effective early intervention to improve the lives of children, says at least 16,000 children are living with an abusive parent or carer, but warns this figure is likely to be “just the tip of the iceberg.”

It calculated that as many as 35,000 children experience domestic abuse in a given month, and predicted that 400,000 will be victims in 2022.