Charities report higher number of cases with fewer resources to help victims
Domestic abuse charities across the UK are voicing their concerns regarding the ongoing cost of living crisis and how this is adversely affecting victims and their ability to help them.
The BBC has highlighted reports from domestic abuse charities, who have stated they are struggling due to receiving fewer donations, higher energy bills, and problems finding volunteers. This coincides at a time when domestic abuse figures have shown to have risen by nearly 10% in the year ending April 2022 to 909,504.
Louise Gibsey, deputy CEO of domestic abuse charity, Safe in Sussex, stated:
“Over the next few months, we are anticipating more referrals and more people seeking our support.
Alongside this, we are already witnessing a dip in donations. A lot of people are seeing less disposable income right now so every penny counts.
When people don’t have that spare income to give, it impacts charities such as us.”
Fiamma Pather, CEO of Your Sanctuary, a charity which helps refugees, also revealed difficulties they have found. She said the culmination of these issues has created “a perfect storm” where services will be “needed more than ever”. She continued:
“We are already feeling a reduction in the number of volunteers who are applying to us. People who may have been able to in the past are now having to work longer hours or take up second jobs in order to make ends meet.
Older people who had spare time to volunteer are now looking after grandchildren whilst the parents are out at work because the cost of childcare is so prohibitive.
So some long-standing volunteers have sadly had to leave their roles and the number of new volunteers making contact has greatly reduced.”
Data from MSI Reproductive Choices, a leading UK abortion provider, has also revealed that the added difficulties from the pandemic has had a knock-on affect on the number of people seeking abortions.
The number of domestic abuse reports the abortion provider have received has increased from 984 in 2020, to 1,206 in 2021.
The figures, which were uncovered by The Independent, revealed cases of physical, psychological, and emotional abuse as well as coercive control and honour-based abuse.
Ailish McEntee, the chief midwife for the provider, claimed the rise was mainly due to the pandemic as victims were trapped in “pressure cooker homes” with victims unable to “access the same support they had previously”. She stated:
“A lot of services shut down during that time.
GPs weren’t doing face-to-face appointments. Kids weren’t going to school. No one had their normal support networks. People weren’t able to disclose as easily as they would do because they weren’t having the opportunity.”
McEntee also spoke of how this has influenced women seeking abortion advice. She said:
“We get a lot of coercion into terminations. But also, we have a lot of people that come through who are being coerced into keeping a pregnancy.”
The charity Refuge has also highlighted this concern as they claim victims of domestic are having to make the choice of becoming destitute or going back to their abusive partner. They added that 77% survivors their staff have worked with have claimed they are finding it harder to leave abusers because of this reason.
One anonymous Refuge frontline worker said:
“It feels like survivors of domestic abuse have been completely forgotten about in this crisis. I have clients whose financial situation is so difficult since fleeing that they are considering returning to their abuser.”
This is a view echoed among charities as concerns grow that victims are facing little choice but to remain with their abusive partners. Marian Duggan, a trustee of the Rising Sun Domestic Violence and Abuse service, claimed these “added difficulties” from the cost of living crisis may “significantly curtail a victim’s ability to escape”. She added:
“Without financial security or independence, it may be very hard for a victim to start over from scratch, especially if they have dependents to care for, too.
It is also important to recognise the impact of increased costs on domestic abuse refuges and charities, who will also have difficult decisions to make about how to continue providing necessary support services to those in crisis situations.”
A government spokesperson said:
“Domestic abuse is a devastating crime that ruins lives. We are working across government to ensure victims, survivors, and their families are fully supported during this difficult time.
Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan invests over £230 million, including over £140 million to support victims and survivors.”
