DAily Alliance- 28 May, 2020









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The DAily Alliance

Your roundup of local and national
domestic abuse stories

Thames Valley Police to hold online Q&A about domestic abuse
VICTIMS of domestic abuse, or anyone worried about someone else, are invited to join a special police help session online tomorrow night. Thames Valley Police will be hosting the question and answer web session from 6pm to 8pm. The force said: “Are you experiencing domestic abuse, or are you worried about a family member, friend, neighbour or colleague? “You can send us your questions on the TVP Engage website and our panel of experts will be able to provide answers and guidance, both publicly and privately.”
-Bicester Advertiser

Refuge domestic abuse charity sees huge increase in calls in lockdown
Calls to the Refuge charity’s domestic abuse helpline have jumped by two-thirds since lockdown started, while website visits have increased nearly ten-fold. The charity said it had seen a 66% rise in demand for its 24-hour 0808 2000 247 helpline since the nation was ordered to stay indoors and more women ended up trapped inside with abusive partners. Meanwhile, visits to the service’s helpline website, where women can confidentially ask for a safe time to be contacted, have jumped by 950% since March 23, it added.
-Hereford Times

£40,000 donated to charities to tackle rise in domestic violence
Central England Co-op has donated £40,000 to two charities to support those impacted by a rise in domestic violence. The retailer has given £20,000 each to Refuge and Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid to support the great work being undertaken to provide those who need support and advice. This comes in response to a surge of 60 per cent in calls to Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline following lockdown.
-Express & Star

Inquiry into lockdown’s impact on vulnerable people
The impact of the coronavirus lockdown on vulnerable groups including domestic abuse victims and older people will be investigated by a Holyrood committee. MSPs on the Equalities and Human Rights Committee will hear from Scottish Women’s Aid and black and minority ethnic women’s refuge Shakti about the impact of the lockdown restrictions on domestic abuse victims. Thursday’s evidence session will also feature representatives from Age Scotland discussing the effect of social isolation on older people, as well as the Scottish Human Rights Commission.
-STV News

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DAily Alliance- 27 May, 2020









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The DAily Alliance

Your roundup of local and national
domestic abuse stories

Children having counselling ‘every five minutes’ since start of coronavirus lockdown
Young people are having a counselling session every five minutes on average during the coronavirus lockdown, a leading charity has warned. Childline said they have dealt with at least 16,644 counselling sessions with children over their mental health concerns between the start of lockdown on March 23 and May 10. The NSPCC, which runs the support line, said this was more than half of the total 30,868 sessions delivered during the seven-week period.
-ITV News

Somerset pharmacies open ‘safe places’ for people experiencing domestic abuse as pandemic continues
People experiencing domestic abuse in Somerset can get support in local pharmacies as they open ‘safe places’ for those isolating with abusers. Domestic abuse charities report surge in calls and referrals during lockdown. Pharmacies across the county will make consulting rooms available where people affected can go to get information about the support available. It follows a similar national scheme which has seen safe places set up in Boots pharmacies across the UK. Local pharmacies and supermarkets are among the few places people can visit during the current restrictions.
-ITV News

Victims of domestic abuse in Cumbria urged to report it
Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Police are joining forces to reach out to people across the county who are at risk from domestic abuse. A new campaign launches this week to encourage victims, or people who are concerned about their friends, family or neighbours, to report incidents to Cumbria Police. Cllr Deborah Earl, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Services, said: “As the government’s lockdown measures are eased it is important people who may have been suffering at home, come forward and seek help. “I would encourage anyone, males or females, who are worried to contact the police. Anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse will get the help they need to keep them safe.”
-Express & Star

Sobering statistics on domestic abuse in lockdown
THE subject of this letter is one that far too many choose to ignore but needs highlighting more than ever now. Since the coronavirus lockdown the National Domestic Abuse Helpline has seen a 49% increase in calls, in the first four weeks double the usual number of women were murdered, and in London the Met Police are making a record 100 domestic abuse arrests a day. In the first four weeks of lockdown 14 women in the UK were shot, stabbed, beaten or burned to death in the UK, a rather sobering statistic. Tens of thousands of women nationwide are living in terror of physical and mental abuse, more so because their partners are furloughed and they are closely stuck together.
-The National

We must focus on removing the root cause of domestic abuse, writes Sam Billingham
It’s 2020 and thanks to a pandemic that has been here for five minutes, victims of an epidemic – that has been around for many years and will continue to be around for many more – are now to be a priority.  I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I’m dismayed and disappointed that it has taken so long for the awareness and recognition of this abhorrent crime to come to light. It really does go to show how many men, women and children have been failed completely by the system. But now they are a priority, what next? Because there is so much more to be done.
-Express & Star

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Conferences in Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire break the silence on domestic abuse

Domestic Abuse is usually something that people find hard to talk about. This didn’t seem to be the case at the Cambridge City Council and Hertfordshire County Council events this week. The rooms at the Guildhall and the Offley Place Hotel respectively were packed to the rafters with professionals from all areas of business, local councils, private and public sector. The most powerful thing and possibly surprising to those who do not work in the domestic abuse sector is among the attendees were indeed men. After all 40% of men are affected by domestic abuse and it can be argued that domestic abuse cannot be completely eradicated without the support of men and women alike.

Among those men attending the Cambridgeshire City Council event, four of them from different areas of business, were White Ribbon Ambassadors. Again this is hopefully a sign of the times that women will no longer be fighting the fight against domestic abuse alone. Also a surprising feature of the Hertfordshire County Council event is that a portion of the conference was dedicated to domestic abuse in the LGBT+ community. If domestic abuse is an area that not a lot of people talk about, a lot less is spent talking about abuse in LGBT+ relationships and it is encouraging that not only is it being included in the conference, it had its own workshop given by a representative from Galop, which is an LGBT+ anti violence charity.

Attending both conferences is a sure sign that not only is there more conversation about domestic abuse awareness and prevention, but that this conversation is reaching all corners of domestic abuse as a whole. There is more understanding of not only different types of abuse,
whether financial abuse, coercive control, or sexual abuse and who it affects, and how we can tailor support, guidance and legal help to them.

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Cyprus rape case: a miscarriage of justice as old as time

When a woman is raped, why should it be the first instinct to question her sexual choices/preferences or even her actions on the night in question? Time and time again, even in the cases of women dying from abusive partners using the ‘rough sex’ defence it’s always the woman’s fault. The #metoo movement is not enough without substantial change from both genders. In the case of the alleged rape in Cyprus, the people who were supposed to protect her questioned her moral integrity, instead of doing the right thing and bringing the suspected perpetrators to justice. 

Moreover, why were these suspected perpetrators not scrutinised? Especially when some sources state that they received a heroes welcome back to Israel and there was the chanting of “The British girl is a whore” at the airport on their collection. You don’t have to be partial to any party involved to recognise that as odd or inappropriate behaviour under the circumstances. It could be construed as remorseless, or even guilty regardless of which side you stand on. 

What is most disturbing about this case is the way the authorities treated the girl as automatically guilty and it can be argued, attempted to protect their own interests ie. the four million tourists that pass through each year. Prosecutors saw the girl write and sign a document retracting her report. According to the victim, this was under duress and without the presence of a lawyer.  Not only that but the presiding judge seemingly ignored video evidence that a video found on the alleged perpetrators’ phones no less, that showed people trying to enter the room while she was having consensual sex with one of the men and her asking them to leave. Again, whichever side you’re on this seems to be a smoking gun. 

All of the evidence aside there needs to be a point where women are just outright believed. Women in these situations are generally reluctant to go to the police in a regular rape situation let alone when you’re in another country and international agencies are involved. The rape in itself and the ensuing medical examination should be enough. Yet women have to endure the hoopla of trying to convince police they have actually suffered. Not only that but in this case, the price of reporting to police has left herself charged and fined. In 2020, we need to create a space where women feel empowered and safe coming forward about rape with no fines, consequences or even media circus as this one has.

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