I've raised £500 to raise awareness of domestic abuse & vital funding.
Organised by Loulou Smith
Story
As a survivor of domestic abuse myself, I do not feel like the issue is spoken about enough and I would like to raise money to donate to the charity that helped me throughout my journey. The charity I am donating to is Berkshire Women's Aid, they are a local charity that provide advice, support and refuge services to victims of domestic abuse. They also offer outreach services, early intervention, adult group work, children's group work, a 24 hour helpline and resettlement.
Last year Berkshire Women's Aid had to turn away 73 people looking for that place of safety. That means for every victim they took in to refuge they turned 3 people away. Calls to their helpline grew by 58% last year. Not only does Berkshire Women's Aid offer services for women, they also offer support services specifically for children and men.
At least one in four women in the UK will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. (British Crime Survey 2010/2011).
BWA’s Helpline takes one call every 80 minutes every day of the year (BWA).
Women and men aged between 16-24 are at the highest risk of domestic abuse (BWA).
Children who have witnessed DA and been abused show the highest levels of behavioural and emotional disturbance (Humphreys, 2007).
If someone needs support in coping with or leaving an abusive relationship or they just want to talk to someone, they can contact BWA on the helpline 0118 9504003, or they can visit www.berkshirewomensaid.org.uk where there is lots of information they can access.
