MANY of us have found lockdown frustrating. We have missed our family and friends, missed going out or playing sport, missed living our lives.
But for the almost two and a half million people in this country who are survivors of domestic abuse, lockdown has not just been frustrating — it has been horrific. For some, it has even been deadly.
Just imagine being trapped at home all day with an abusive partner.
Imagine being a child unable to escape to the safety of school or grandparents.
Imagine feeling like you have nowhere to hide.
Sadly, for some people reading this, there will be no need to imagine — it will be the reality you are living every day.
My message to you, and to anyone living through the horror of domestic abuse, is this: You are not alone.
For more than 20 years, The Sun has campaigned on this vital issue, working with charities including Refuge and Women’s Aid.
In these pages, readers who have survived domestic abuse have shared their inspiring stories and given hope to many still suffering.
And the plight of sufferers of domestic abuse — both adults and children — has not been forgotten during this pandemic.
A Government-funded publicity campaign has highlighted the help that is available for survivors.
The Prime Minister hosted a virtual summit on the “Hidden Harms” people face behind closed doors.
Support and justice
And shops such as Morrisons and Boots are providing safe spaces in store where customers facing abuse can access support.
In Parliament, we have been at work on passing a new landmark law — the Domestic Abuse Bill.
- I first published the Bill last year as Prime Minister and it is now well on its way to becoming law. It will:
- Give new rights to survivors of domestic abuse to get support from their local councils.
- Make it easier for people to give evidence in court without being intimidated by their abusers,
- Introduce a tough new legal power, the Domestic Abuse Protection Order.
The new law will also set out in plain terms a single definition of exactly what “domestic abuse” means.
Because the truth is that some people who are suffering do not know it is domestic abuse — and that help is out there for them.
Domestic abuse is not just physical violence in a marriage. The perpetrator could be a current or ex-partner, a co-parent, or a relative.
The abuse could be sexual or non-sexual.
And it could be non-physical — such as threatening behaviour, humiliating or intimidating you, verbal abuse, restricting access to cash, controlling when you can leave the house or who you can speak to and spend time with. It might happen again and again, or just once.
Having this definition set out clearly in law will help the police take account of the whole range of domestic abuse — so more survivors can get the support and justice they deserve. Passing the Domestic Abuse Bill will be a big step in the right direction.
But it is essential we seize the opportunity now to go even further.
That is why this week I have published a short report, which I have co-written with the Chair of the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse Elizabeth Filkin, the former Supreme Court judge Lord Wilson of Culworth, and senior NHS psychiatrist Dr Peter Aitken.
Building on the good work ministers have done over recent months, we make some concrete suggestions for further action.
First and foremost, we say the Government needs to keep up the momentum it has established over the past few months by making its public awareness campaign on domestic abuse permanent.
Domestic abuse will not end when we come out of lockdown — for too many, it will only continue. And the support given during lockdown must continue too.
Survivors need to know that help is available. And perpetrators need to know we are working harder to stop them.
A prime example of the information we need to get out there is the fact the new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders can be applied for by concerned friends and family members, not just by the survivors themselves.
We all have our part to play in ending domestic abuse.
If anyone reading The Sun today is experiencing the daily misery of an abusive relationship with a partner or family member, then know that you are not alone.
What you are going through is not your fault. And with the help that is out there — you really can escape.
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