'SIZE OF THIS CRISIS'
Domestic abuse killings rise by 160% as 16 people die during three-week coronavirus lockdown
DOMESTIC abuse killings have risen by 160 per cent with 16 deaths during the three-week coronavirus lockdown.
On average, two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales alone, according to the Office of National Statistics.
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But Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales Dame Vera Baird today revealed there had been five deaths reported a week since the lockdown began three weeks ago.
Dame Vera told the Home Affairs Committee: "Counting dead women has reached a total of 16 domestic abuse killings in the last three weeks.
"We usually say there are two a week - that looks to me like five a week.
"That's the size of this crisis."
She added: "I think to save lives in this pandemic we are ordering some people to stay locked up for along time with people who will damage them."
It was revealed earlier this week that reports of domestic abuse have more than doubled since the coronavirus crisis confined families to their homes.
Home Secretary Priti Patel pledged £2million towards helplines for the thousands of victims trapped in a “horrific cycle”.
She also warned thug partners: “You will not get away with it” as she urged watchful neighbours across the UK to “help those suffering from domestic abuse”.
But while Dame Vera said all funding was welcome, more needed to be done.
She said: "It was imperative really from the start that since this was part and parcel of telling people to lockdown there should have been a strategy of prevent, protect and pursue."
SIMPLE STEPS TO STAY SAFER
WOMEN’S Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
Get help
IF you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – message.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service available at chat.womensaid. org.uk.
Due to limited funding, it is open from 10am to noon.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
See
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Swansea University has since offered its student accommodation to help victims of domestic violence as refuges across the UK fill.
Calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline rocketed 120 per cent in just one 24-hour period last week.
And in one haunting call made today to This Morning, a victim spoke to hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes while her husband was out shopping.
She said the couple had been married for 25 years but he had started to control her in the past two years.
The woman, who spoke on the phone, said: "I feel trapped.
"I can't see the wood for the trees."
The programme immediately offered her counselling and support.
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Since the lockdown, support groups for domestic violence victims revealed the pandemic could be putting people at risk.
A spokesman for Women’s Aid said: “Perpetrators of abuse may use restrictions due to Covid-19 to exercise power and control over their partners — further reducing their access to services, help and support from formal and informal networks."
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The public have been asked to demonstrate solidarity by sharing a photo of a heart on their palm, and asking others to do the same to convey to perpetrators that domestic abuse is unacceptable.
Ms Patel added: “For the victims of these crimes, home is not the safe haven it should be.
“Our message is clear and simple . . . you are not alone and you are not on your own."
Domestic abuse victim phones This Morning for help during coronavirus lockdown while abusive partner is shopping
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Need help? Contact the free 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline number — 0808 2000 247 — run by Refuge.
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