The UK–England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland–will be the focus of #Day10 of #16Days. The complex arrangement of four countries into one United Kingdom means that a ton of resources exist both at the macro and micro levels, so let’s get to it.
The National Domestic Violence Freephone Helpline can be reached 24/7 at 0808 2000 247. “The Helpline can give support, help and information over the telephone, wherever the caller might be in the country. The Helpline is staffed 24 hours a day by fully trained female helpline support workers and volunteers. All calls are completely confidential. Translation facilities for callers whose first language is not English, and a service for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing are available.”
The Helpline is a partnership between two national organizations, Women’s Aid and Refuge. Women’s Aid works “to end violence against women and children, and support over 350 domestic and sexual violence services across the country.” Refuge serves as a shelter and “is committed to a world where domestic violence is not tolerated and where women and children can live in safety.” A third organization, The National Centre for Domestic Violence, “provides a free, fast emergency injunction service to survivors of domestic violence regardless of their financial circumstances, race, gender or sexual orientation.” Their services are available 24/7 by phone at 0844 8044 999 or by texting NCDV to 60777.
Victim’s Services is an organization that operates at both the national and local level to help victims of crime “find the strength to deal with what [they’ve] been through.” Their Supportline is available at 0845 30 30 900 on weekdays 8am-8pm, weekends 9am-7pm, and bank holidays 9am-5pm. They also support witnesses of crime and participate in research and policy making “to represent the views and interests of victims and witnesses to the government and other stakeholders.” Rights of Women is another legal organization in the UK that helps women facing domestic violence, sexual assault, custody battles, divorce, legal asylum or refugee status and other immigration issues. Their “vision is to achieve equality, justice and respect for all women [and] mission is to advise, educate and empower women by
- Providing women with free, confidential legal advice by specialist women solicitors and barristers
- Enabling women to understand and benefit from their legal rights through accessible and timely publications and training
- Campaigning to ensure that women’s voices are heard and law and policy meets all women’s needs”
England and Wales share many laws, customs and organizations. One of them is Rape Crisis England & Wales. They operate a Freephone Helpline at 0808 802 9999 from 12 – 2:30pm and 7 – 9:30pm. Rape Crisis England & Wales “is a feminist organisation that exists to promote the needs of women and girls who have experienced sexual violence, to improve services to them and to work towards the elimination of sexual violence.” The umbrella organization was created to assist local rape crisis centers and advocate for the elimination of sexual violence at the local, regional and national level as well. Reducing the Risk of Domestic Abuse is a catchall page for England and Wales that has a list of Helplines for men, children, the LGBT community and the elderly, among others.
Wales also operates its own free 24/7 Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Helpline at 0808 80 10 800. It “is a confidential, freephone support and information service for anyone experiencing domestic abuse or wanting more information on available support services.” Welsh Women’s Aid “is the national umbrella organisation representing local Women’s Aid Groups situated throughout Wales. Our member groups provide direct services for women and children who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse.”
The Scottish Domestic Abuse Helpline is available 24/7 at 0800 027 1234. Scotland Says No operates the Helpline, and offers help and support for victims, friends and family, perpetrators and young people. Rape Crisis Scotland operates a free Helpline for those affected by sexual violence in Scotland everyday from 6pm to midnight at 08088 01 03 02. The Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership is a great resource for other organizations in Scotland as well, like the Women’s Support Project, Victim Support Scotland, and Scottish Women’s Aid which “works to end violence against women by tackling its root cause, which is gender inequality. We do this by:
- Promoting women’s equality and children’s rights.
- Campaigning for responses which actively prevent violence against women.
- Working to ensure that services are available to women, young people and children with experience of domestic abuse.
- Providing services and advice to our members.”
The Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland operates a 24/7 Domestic & Sexual Violence Hotline open to all women and men affected by intimate-partner violence at 08088021414. The organization includes ten local women’s aid groups as well and “strives to welcome and support all women, children and young people, including those with disabilities and those without, women from minority communities, different cultures, races, languages and sexual orientations and from a wide age range.” Victim Support Northern Ireland, much like the national victim support organization, is dedicated to “provide emotional support, information and practical help to victims, witnesses and others affected by crime.” The Rowan is the Sexual Assault Referral Centre for Northern Ireland and operates a 24/7 Freephone Helpline at 0800 389 4424.
The Women’s Resource Centre with a network of over 500 organizations “is the leading national umbrella organisation for the women’s sector, working towards linking all aspects of the women’s movement. We support our members to be more effective and sustainable through training, and we lobby the government on their behalf on a range of women’s issues.” Maternity Action “is the UK’s leading charity committed to ending inequality and improving the health and well-being of pregnant women, partners and young children – from conception through to the child’s early years.” Positively UK offers support for people living with HIV, from people living with HIV.
The findings of a study conducted by Positively UK
The London Violence Against Women Consortium “is made up of 22 organisations working in partnership to deliver comprehensive, cost effect, high quality services to all communities across London.” The Women’s Health and Equality Consortium “is a partnership of women’s charity organisations, all of who share common goals of health and equality for girls and women.” Imkaan “is a UK-based, black feminist organisation dedicated to addressing violence against women and girls.” The Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development, FORWARD, “is an African Diaspora women led UK-registered campaign and support charity dedicated to advancing and safeguarding the sexual and reproductive health and rights of African girls and women.”
With so many resources available at every level across the country the United Kingdom must be well on its way towards eliminating gender-based violence! We can only hope that other countries will have this abundance of resources soon–but not need them.
