Victims of domestic abuse who are suffering during the coronavirus lockdown are being told – #YouAreNotAlone.
Sefton Council is working with Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and health partners to make sure people are aware of the help and support that is available.
With the country still in lockdown and many residents self-isolating whilst juggling work demands, financial issues, home schooling and childcare, the strain and pressures at home for everyone in Southport can be quite intense. That’s even more so for victims of domestic abuse, where home may not be a necessarily safe place.
Merseyside Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Serena Kennedy and Chair of the Strategic Coordinating Group of the Merseyside Resilience Forum, who is coordinating the regional response to the coronavirus pandemic said: “It’s a challenging time for everyone at the moment but the situation is far worse for those people who feel trapped, isolated, controlled or feel like they are walking on eggshells all of the time.
“The important thing is that we want everyone across our region to know that you don’t need to suffer in silence. Help and support is just a phone call or click away and there are choices and options you can make. You are not alone.”
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Local communities can pledge their support to the campaign by sharing the messages with their friends and families and through social media. Some people are specifically sharing a photo of a heart on their palm, demonstrating that victims are not alone.
Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “It is vital that we let people who are silently suffering or concerned for their safety during this period of isolation and social-distancing know they are not alone and that people in their communities care about them and are looking out for them.
“I fully support this coordinated campaign to make sure that people have as much access as possible to ways of finding help, support and advice and would urge people across Sefton get behind the #YouAreNotAlone campaign.”
If anyone needs support, call the freephone, 24 hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline number – 0808 2000 247 – run by Refuge. Remember in an emergency situation, ring 999 and if you are unable to speak when the operator answers, press 55 and the operator will transfer your call to the relevant police force.
Further information is also available at www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk.
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