Dundee Women’s Aid has urged women suffering domestic abuse to come forward and not suffer in silence.
Social media put the issue of domestic abuse front and centre last weekend again as women all over the country were urged to speak up and get help.
It coincided with the finals of the Euro 2020 football championships, but sadly for many, domestic abuse isn’t new or a one-time issue.
Dundee has the highest number of incidents of domestic abuse for the fourth year in a row, and despite that, there’s still concern some are fearful of seeking help.
Dundee Women’s Aid say although they are seeing women coming forward, there’s still a high proportion who are dealing with it alone.
Gillian Boland, depute CEO of Dundee Women’s Aid, said: “We fear we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
“This past year we’ve been through lockdown, and although we are consistently seeing people coming forward, there’s still women who feel like they aren’t able to.
“With people working at home and a lot of our lives moving online, many women don’t have control over what is happening and feel they don’t have an escape.
“We are here to make sure we support women and their children – no two cases are the same – but we will do what we can to help.”
Dundee City has the highest domestic abuse rate in Scotland, but seeking help is a massive first step for those affected.
Gillian added: “For some, when it becomes impossible to stay and they’ve reached a point they can’t continue, they flee. It’s a huge step to take.
“We’ve had women come to us who’ve walked out their doors with just the clothes on their back, no money, no access to money, with their children who’ve not eaten or even had their breakfast because they’ve only had a small window of opportunity to escape.”
Other women need time to plan and Dundee Women’s Aid, along with other support services in the local area, can offer advice and support on a range of issues, particular to each case they see.
Gillian continued: “We help women to explore options and choices including safety planning, financial planning and housing options.
“We offer refuge and link in with other women’s aid groups to do what we can to support that women and her family.”
Not just physical
The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 came into force on April 1 2019, criminalising coercive and controlling behaviour against partners.
Lucie Kapasi, children’s services manager at Dundee Women’s Aid, explained: “In our experience you can’t have a domestic abuse situation without some level of coercive control.
“It’s almost a hidden harm within a domestic abuse relationship and can often be quite subtle.
“It can take time for some women to fully understand it and recognise it as abuse.”
Lucy and the team of children’s workers are helping children living in situations of domestic abuse.
She added: “A mum might often think her children aren’t impacted or might block that out because she finds it too hard to deal with.
“But it’s our experience even if young people aren’t in the room they’re still impacted and they’re much more aware than parents think.
“Domestic abuse isn’t talked about and they are told, or perhaps pick up, it’s not ok to talk about it outwith their house, so when children’s workers get involved we have to spend a lot of time building up trust to allow a young person to talk about it.”
Dundee services are working hard to combat the problems and recent funding from Dundee City Council will mean they can offer a fuller service.
Gillian added: “We’re fortunate to be looking at how we deliver services and are going to introduce a duty team so we will have a group of staff responding day to day with people who get in touch.”
And she said, although the percentage of women who have reported domestic abuse is higher, it should still be remembered men are victims too.
Where can I go for help?
If you have been affected by domestic abuse you can contact:
- Dundee Women’s Aid’s support line on 01382 207099 or email support@dundeewomensaid.co.uk
- Mia who are funded to work with both female and male victims of domestic abuse at info@miadundee.co.uk
- National domestic abuse helpline on 0800 027 1234
- Male victims of domestic abuse can contact Mankind via their website or by calling 01823 334244.