Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
People urged to check on neighbours
Whether the pandemic caused more domestic issues or just created space for women to find the courage to seek help, it’s been a busy year for Women’s Refuge.
It acts as a reminder that with the holiday season nearing, it’s important to check in on those that are vulnerable in the community
Marlborough Women’s Refuge and Sexual Violence Support Centre manager Rachel Black said during lockdown they had expected, and prepared for, a spike in women needing assistance.
As New Zealand moved into lockdown, Black said isolation could have detrimental effects on people living with their abusers. ‘‘It didn’t come,’’ Black said. ‘‘Which then became worrying because we thought things maybe hadn’t changed, but it maybe meant women weren’t able to access us.’’
Instead, the demand came after lockdown.
There had been an increase in sexual violence victims coming forward, she said.
‘‘There’s lots of things attributing to that, so there’s housing, or lack of, we’ve definitely seen an increase around mental health concerns and drug use.
‘‘We deal with the rape crisis side, but we also work with women who have disclosed an historical abuse.
‘‘The reporting on historical abuse did increase after lockdown and I sort of wondered if that was around, they had time to sit and think and things came into their mind, or were they triggered by the lockdown.
‘‘ That was traumatic for a lot of people.’’
Black said leading up to Christmas, the refuge expected to be flat out.
‘‘That’s around basic necessities, food, I guess presents, but also with safety planning and just making sure they’ve got those safety plans up-to-date.’’
In the build-up to Christmas, Black was reminding people to bring back a sense of community, and check on neighbours.
‘‘Even something like degrading comments of women, when they hear those jokes, people can say actually that’s not OK and that’s not how we want our community or society to be. That’s not what we want our children to hear.’’
The Marlborough Express will be collecting Kirihimete (Christmas) gifts on behalf of the Women’s Refuge from December 1 to 14. Gifts can be dropped to the Express office at 58 Arthur St. Please leave gifts unwrapped. Black encouraged people to gift non-perishable food and gifts for women and children, as well as teenagers.