Earlier this year in March, figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, stated that the police recorded 889,918 domestic abuse-related crimes so far, and that is neglecting the number of cases that go unreported. Despite the wide array of information and awareness that is consistently spread about domestic violence, it still appears to be stigmatised: victims fear the possibility of speaking out and how it may resuscitate further violence; victims staying silent because of the fear of not being taken seriously; victims accepting and normalising the constant feeling of unease. Domestic abuse sends victims further into silence, even when they are removed from a toxic environment. The feeling of isolation and being incessantly belittled, overtime erodes what’s left of their self-esteem - making them question their own worth and identity.
Our year group is participating in the First Give scheme, where each class has to raise awareness and campaign about a charity of their choice - with the chance of winning £1000 for them.
Family Based Solutions is the charity which initially captured our attention, as it focused on combating domestic violence in all forms. Since last year, they have helped over 2360 individuals and 889 families.Their main aim is to stop future victims and future perpetrators by cutting off abuse at its root, as well as helping victims on a long-term basis. We were privileged enough to speak with the charity founder face to face, where we held in-depth conversations about domestic abuse related issues, and what the best ways to support the charity would be in terms of our fundraising and spreading awareness. The founder (Ayse Adil) stressed the importance of actively listening to victims instead of instructing them, to gradually build up a relationship where they begin to open up more.
One story that particularly stood out to me was when a six-foot man came to seek help from Family Based Solution, disclosing to Ayse about how he was being hit by his five-foot wife. When approaching the police, Family Based Solutions requested that they had a neutral expression whilst he was telling his story. Immediately, due to the fact of him being an extremely tall, Rastafarian man, they judged him and didn’t take his story seriously. However, Family Based Solutions took a strong stance and didn’t allow him to leave the police station until his story was told.
In response to this, Ayse carried out a two-day silence where she was unable to speak or communicate with anyone - whether that was online or in-person. She mentioned how it was a very crucial way of understanding how victims feel when being ignored. Therefore, we are taking major inspiration from her social action and will also be participating in this, to spread further awareness about abuse. If we do win the £1000, that money will go to helping 6 victims of domestic violence on a long-term basis. After all, everyone deserves to have a good quality of life.
