When you read this I will be doing my 10k for Refuge UK – the largest domestic abuse charity in the UK. They help women and children fleeing abusive homes by providing them a safe place to stay and helping them access legal support and put their abuser away.
Sadly this is something that exists in all stratas of society, regardless of wealth, privilege and education. But because it goes on behind closed doors we are often oblivious to it. 1 in 4 women in the UK will experience some form of domestic abuse – whether it’s physical, mental, financial or sexual. That’s a staggering number. Then there are children who suffer a secondary, equally harmful abuse, despite what a lot of people seem to think, children see and hear everything – imagine the effect this must have.
Yes, men can be victims too, and it happens in same sex relationships as well as opposite sex ones. But women are overwhelmingly the victims.
Having worked with victims of crime for the last 6 years, I have seen first hand how awful this can be. From the client who cried in our office for two hours because she was too scared to go home, to the story a women’s aid worker told me of the husband who threw his naked wife onto the street, telling her that she could leave but take nothing that belonged to him and as she hasn’t worked (he hadn’t let her) even her clothes (and by his logic) children belonged to him. These women need help to be safe to be free of the terrifying control their abusers have.
So if you would like to sponsor me – all the money goes to Refuge, I just get sore feet and blisters, please click here.
ramblingmads
ramblingmads 