Fists or flowers?
What kind of present will you be giving your Valentine? A bunch of flowers or a bunch
of fives? That is the question being asked by a new publicity campaign being launched today
(14th February) by the Royal Borough’s domestic violence forum.
Valentine’s Day is traditionally seen as a day for couples to express their love for each
other and celebrate their relationship, but for many women and men in the Royal Borough,
February 14 may be yet another day of fear and abuse. In many abusive relationships
‘love’ can turn into unreasonable jealousy and possessiveness, turning to violence,
power and control.
Nationally, one in four women and one in six men will suffer domestic abuse in their lifetime. Many incidents of domestic abuse go unreported, with the victim too scared to seek help or support, or unaware of support agencies.
Last year 1,459 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to police in the Royal Borough but it is estimated that this figure only accounts for about a third of incidents that actually occur.
The Royal Borough’s Domestic Violence Forum is using Valentine’s Day to raise awareness of domestic abuse and to highlight local services available for both victims and perpetrators of abuse, by launching a new poster. The poster will be distributed to agencies who sit on the Forum, such as East Berkshire Women’s Aid, Thames Valley Police, Health, Children’s Services and Education, as well as being sent to public venues across the Royal Borough.
Sophie Crowe, domestic violence co-ordinator for Berkshire East said “Unfortunately,
Valentine’s Day will be just another day of violence and fear for many people living in
abusive relationships. It is important that we reach out to anyone, regardless of whether
they are men or women, young or old, suffering abuse at the hands of a loved one so they can
seek help and support from local agencies. We also want to offer a chance to abusive men
who wish to change their behaviour through a local programme called Changing Ways. Anyone
in doubt of the seriousness of domestic abuse should remember that nationally, two women every
week are killed by their current or former partner”.
There are a number of agencies working in partnership across the Royal Borough to support anyone in an abusive relationship. Thames Valley Police operate a positive intervention policy, holding offenders accountable for their actions. East Berkshire Women’s Aid offer outreach and advocacy support to anyone suffering domestic abuse, working closely with survivors and supporting them to contact other agencies. The main focus of the advocacy work is always to work with the survivor in the safest possible way, and to help them to be able to carry on living their lives in a safer and more independent way from the point of crisis and to be able to put safety actions into place straight away.
Ends
For further information, please call:
Sophie Crowe, Domestic Violence Co-ordinator for Berkshire East, tel: 01628 645687
Notes for Editors:
1. Anyone experiencing domestic violence should ring 999 (police) in an emergency.
2. Any man wishing to change his behaviour can call John Roberts on 07818 054563 to
discuss the Changing Ways Programme.
3. Any woman experiencing domestic abuse can call East Berkshire Women’s Aid on
01753 549865 or 0800 085 2654 for outreach support or refuge accommodation.
4. Any man experiencing domestic abuse can call Victim Support on 01628 636367
5. For a full list of specialist domestic abuse services in the Royal Borough, as well as
further details of initiatives and training opportunities please visit www.rbwmdvf.org.uk
