Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, violence against women has intensified. A Shadow Pandemic of domestic violence is growing, and we need to stem the tide. Everyone has a role to play in this. We are at the start of the United Nations 16 Days of Activism to tackle gender based violence – November 25th – 10th December – now is the time to take stock and ask what we can do to play our part.
We recognise that there is a crisis taking place in our own community. Our club has been a long-standing partner and supporter of Cheshire Without Abuse – My CWA over many years. Running 16 refuges across east Cheshire which even before the pandemic struck were always full, the team has sadly seen a significant rise in need by families they help. The situation has got noticeably worse. The charity has witnessed a rise in abuse cases of 40 per cent since the end of April, with no sign of that figure falling since. They have responded by opening a further four refuges.
Over lockdown members have donated money that they would have spent on our dinners to them. Members have also made face coverings for sale, with all proceeds going to My CWA. In total we have raised over £700, and this amount is still growing.
We were delighted to see that Cheshire Without Abuse – My CWA – has been recognised for the support they give to victims of domestic abuse. They won a prestigious Family Award of £10,000 at this year’s Centre for Social Justice Award ceremony.
To find out more about the award, click here
If you want to know more about the Shadow Pandemic watch this short video narrated by Kate Winslet