Why I support Refuge...

In this post I wanted to write about a charity that I have supported for a long time, and which is close to my heart. I do consider myself to be very lucky not to have experienced domestic violence in any of my relationships, but I have women in my friends circle that have had abusive partners, and their accounts have been very distressing to hear. When you see the statistics for domestic abuse, it is truly shocking just how widespread this problem is. For this reason I will share some of the statistics with you...

Almost one in three women aged 16-59 will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime

Office for National Statistics (2019) Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview: November 2019

Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales alone

Office for National Statistics (2019) Homicide in England and Wales: year ending March 2018 (average taken over 10 years)

In the year ending March 2019, 1.6 million women experienced domestic abuse

Office for National Statistics (2019) Domestic abuse victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2019

What I find scary is that these statistics are from 2019, and if you consider the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, I can only image incidents having increased dramatically. So now I would like to tell you some of the reasons why I chose Refuge as the main charity that I support:

• They provide a free 24/7 domestic abuse helpline with expert advisors that will be your confidant, provide you with support and information, as well as help you find specialist services, such as shelters.

• They run emergency accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence, which can be the last resort to escape violence, especially for the most vulnerable.

• They support so many more victims, such as those escaping trafficking and modern slavery, and have services in 44 different languages, so that no one is left out.

To learn more, visit Refuge here: https://www.refuge.org.uk/