One in four women will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime. Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales alone.

Refuge's National Domestic Abuse Helpline is a gateway to domestic abuse services across the country and is often the first place a woman experiencing domestic abuse will receive the emotional and practical support she needs.

At the start of the pandemic the Helpline experienced a 64% increase in calls and contacts, incoming and outgoing. Visits to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline website increased seven-fold. Even though lockdowns have been lifted demand remains high.