{"id":5368,"date":"2020-08-23T13:33:54","date_gmt":"2020-08-23T12:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/lichfield\/?p=5368"},"modified":"2020-08-23T13:33:54","modified_gmt":"2020-08-23T12:33:54","slug":"why-get-involved-in-domestic-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/lichfield\/2020\/08\/23\/why-get-involved-in-domestic-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Why get involved in domestic abuse?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From time to time we ask the leads of our various sub groups to write a blog piece related to the work of their group – on any aspect of their choice. Here Domestic Abuse Sub Group Lead Pauline Shields<\/strong><\/em> reflects on the recent work of our club in the complex arena of Domestic Abuse.<\/p>\n

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Why get involved in domestic abuse?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve heard many reasons why women join Soroptimists, but by far the most common is \u201cI want to make a difference, to do something or be part of something to make a difference to the lives of women.\u201d The work we do in our club, particularly on Domestic Abuse, gives members that opportunity…<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the current situation regarding domestic abuse in the UK?<\/b><\/h4>\n

\"Reflected<\/a>Statistics show that year ending March 2019 an estimated 1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 year olds experienced 5 million acts of violence – with 3 million of these involving men – each year in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019 the number of people killed as a result of domestic violence in the UK reached its highest level in five years.173 homicides – an increase of 32 deaths in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

In December 2018 coercive control was added to the Serious Crime Act 2015 and\u00a0 resulted in 7034 arrests, but of these cases 4837 were dropped by police or prosecutors…<\/span><\/p>\n

There has been a surge in domestic abuse cases during Covid -19, one of the largest abuse charities Women’s Aid, reported a shocking increase of 120%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, a separate helpline for perpetrators, Respect<\/a>, has shown an increase of 25% in calls after the start of lock down and an increase of 125% in visits to their website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of work to do sadly.<\/span><\/p>\n

What do Lichfield Soroptimists do about domestic abuse?<\/b><\/h4>\n

There are so many activities and events I could mention to describe what we do such as our work on healthy relationships for teenagers, working against forced marriage, helping create safe spaces, promoting and signposting support services through bookmarks and other outlets, support for Lichfield\u2019s Pathways<\/a> Refuge, lobbying MPs on the Domestic Abuse Bill currently going through Parliament, creating Mums\u2019 Bags, supporting Buddy Bags<\/a> and much more…<\/span><\/p>\n

Some examples of the our work include:<\/span><\/p>\n