This is a tricky issue. Obviously nobody should be permitted to inflict harm upon an innocent, not should anyone have to suffer harm. But when you've got an adult making an adult decision to move in with someone and then lies to cover up, what should the police do? It wasn't as if Alex had been imprisoned indoors.
In this case, Skeel was also worried about his son being in the 'care' of someone so violently abusive, which is sometimes even explicitly used as a threat in abusive relationships. Perhaps something can be done here
I'm not sure I quite understand what Skeel's point was with not encouraging men to talk about things or leave. Unless it becomes so prevalent that it does become an everyday occurrence, people aren't going to be discussing it casually. And if it does become so commonplace, doesn't that 'normality' make it more difficult to get out?