A WOKING-based charity has praised a Crimestoppers campaign urging the public to speak out against domestic abuse.

“We are very pleased that Crimestoppers is running this initiative,” said Fiamma Pather, CEO of Your Sanctuary. “It’s so important that everybody understands what domestic abuse is, the signs to look out for and how to get support.”

The campaign, relaunched as #YouAreNotPowerless, highlights that it’s better to be safe than sorry, and that bystanders have the option to report abuse in the home anonymously.

“At Your Sanctuary we run the Surrey Domestic Abuse Helpline and have found that during the lockdowns, when a survivor might find it very difficult to reach out for support, friends, family members and colleagues have called us instead.

“Throughout the pandemic we have found that the number of callers to our helpline has increased from previous years.

“Our refuges have been full for most of the time, although women have found it difficult to leave their homes during lockdown as the abuser has been with them 24/7, giving little opportunity to escape.

“One the most distressing things we have found is the increasing mental health issues with both adult and child survivors. The lack of access to support, contact with friends or family members, and schools, churches and community centres being closed have all massively increased isolation – and the impact of coercive control exerted by the perpetrator has been intensified.

“Some women have felt so hopeless that they have taken their own lives, and a number of children have self-harmed or attempted suicide.

“No matter what the difficulties, we were determined that we would carry on with our work, and we have even gone for socially distanced walks with the children we are supporting so that they know we are still here for them.”

There is some good news, though, for the charity, which has been leased a new, purpose-built refuge by Woking Borough Council.

“We have been extremely fortunate,” Fiamma added. “It has 25 bedrooms, a large office for staff, two laundry rooms, a playroom, communal lounge and garden.

“This new refuge will not only enable us to accommodate more women and their children who are fleeing from their perpetrator, we will also be able to take in families with older children, which was more difficult in our older, smaller refuge, and to offer space to some women who have no recourse to public funds.

“The community has been enormously supportive and we have been the recipients of donations both of funds and in-kind donations.

“We have also received emergency COVID funds from local and central government, which has enabled us to increase resources to cope with the extra demand.

“However, these funds will finish at the end of March and we can see that the effects of the pandemic will continue for months and years to come, so we are already seeking funding to help us support more survivors in the future.”

The #YouAreNotPowerless campaign consists of a short video depicting various scenarios and is being promoted across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter social media channels.

Glenys Balchin, Surrey & Sussex regional manager at Crimestoppers, said: “Every day we hear distressing stories from people who are doing the right thing and telling us anonymously when they think domestic abuse is happening.

“We all need to realise that victims may be too scared and traumatised to seek help. We know that a victim typically endures up to 35 assaults before having the strength to speak up, and that can be for many different reasons – fear of losing their children; fear of losing their home; fear of not being believed; even thoughts that they are somehow to blame.

“Crimestoppers provides a safe and anonymous way to speak up about suspicions of domestic abuse.”

FOR support, for yourself or for someone else, please contact the Your Sanctuary helpline seven days a week (9am to 9pm) on 01483 776822 or visit  www.yoursanctuary.org.uk.

To contact Crimestoppers anonymously, visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org and fill in the secure anonymous online form, or call the 24/7 contact centre on freephone 0800 555 111, 365 days of the year. In an emergency, always call 999. Because of Crimestoppers’ anonymity guarantee, information cannot be taken from victims.