It’s a little known fact that 2 women a week die form domestic violence on the UK. At Frost we will be tuning into Alesha Dixon;s new show and urge you to as well.

At least 75,000 children per year witness domestic violence at home. ALESHA DIXON witnessed her mother suffer domestic violence between the ages of eight and ten. She has never spoken about the experience until now, twenty-one years later.

In an intimate and unsettling 60-minute documentary from the producers of Alesha Dixon: Who’s Your Daddy?, ALESHA finds her voice in the hope that, through hearing what she and others have experienced as children, others may be encouraged to speak out too. The Department of Health states that children who experience domestic violence at home are more likely to go on to suffer behavioural problems and mental health difficulties of their own. We know the impact of witnessing abuse as a child can be profound, so how do we go about dealing with this and getting children to a point where they can talk about what’s going on at home?

The singer and Strictly Coming Dancing judge goes in search of answers by talking to victims and experts, examining the emotional and physical implications of witnessing domestic violence, and investigating how it hinders their development and takes away their right to be a child. On her journey, ALESHA meets several brave young girls and boys who talk about their experiences and hears a heartbreaking story from a mother who has been abused. She joins a patrol team from Avon and Somerset Constabulary who deal with domestic violence on a daily basis – their region covering both rural and urban environments offering a snapshot of the rest of the country. ALESHA also meets CAMILLA BATMAN-GHELIDJ, chief executive of charity Kids Company, who is currently working alongside some of Britain’s top neuroscientists, to examine why some abused children go on to abuse, and others do not. Finally, ALESHA meets a dad who has abused, but has now acknowledged his mistakes by joining a perpetrator programme.

ALESHA’S aim, along with all the film’s contributors, is to portray why the support system could be even stronger for children affected by domestic violence. The government recently launched a 2 million pound ad campaign designed to help teenagers recognise abuse within their own relationships. This followed a study by the NSPCC and Bristol University which suggested a quarter of girls aged thirteen to seventeen had experienced physical violence from a boyfriend, and a third had been pressured into sexual acts they didn’t want. ALESHA goes to a sixth-form college to see how a group of teenagers react to the ad campaign and get them talking. Should the government now perhaps reach out to even younger children who are affected by domestic abuse? Should schools be taking more steps to raise awareness and offer more support to children affected by domestic violence? And should awareness around the issue become part of the National Curriculum?

Don’t Hit My Mum will transmit on BBC ONE, 15th November at 10.35pm