Domestic abuse – why we really must make a stand now

The recently appointed Domestic Abuse Commissioner has spoken of plans to monitor which landlords are offering a good service in relation to domestic abuse. Domestic abuse accounts for around a quarter of all recorded crime and is one of the leading causes of homelessness for women. Domestic abuse can include any violence or threat of violence that takes place in or outside the home between family, household members or partners in existing or previous relationships. In addition to physical violence and sexual abuse it may include financial, psychological, and/or emotional abuse.

Domestic abuse is not going away. In pre-pandemic times, we know that two women a week are murdered by their partners in the UK.

The coronavirus pandemic lockdown brought all of this into sharp focus with many people trapped at home with their abusers. More than 40,000 calls and contacts were made to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline during the first three months of the lockdown, mostly by women seeking help, new figures have shown. In June alone, calls and contacts were nearly 80 per cent higher than usual, according to charity Refuge, which runs the helpline.

The new Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, has recently publicly stated that her office will start to “monitor which social landlords are offering a good service in relation to domestic abuse”. The Commissioner has been a leading voice for many years in her previous role as CEO of Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse on the importance of housing and its role in combating domestic abuse. In her new role, she is keen for her office to support organisations to do the right thing.

The pandemic has further exposed the lack of protection and support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse and demonstrated the pressing need for change. It is so important to remind ourselves that since its launch in June 2018, 444 organisations have signed up to Make a Stand in total - consisting of 407 signatories to the main pledge and 37 to the supplementary ‘supporters’ pledge. Clearly the sector had already began to make a dent in tackling this appalling crime way before lockdown, and we cannot and must not stop now.

The ‘Make a Stand’ campaign gives housing organisations the chance to commit to making four focused, but easily deliverable commitments, to provide support for people experiencing domestic abuse. CIH will be running the ‘Make A Stand’ five-part series training course, hosted by the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance co-founder Kelly Henderson, starting on 1st September. This training will be over five weeks and participants can engage in all five or in individual sessions to meet their organisational or individual training needs. This training gives individuals and organisations the opportunity to gain an understanding of domestic abuse, the barriers to accessing support and, crucially, what housing providers can practically do to support residents and staff members. Now is as vital as ever to ramp up your commitment to tackling domestic abuse; investing time into understanding how to respond to domestic abuse is investing time in saving lives, now and in the future.