The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Celebrities play a part in ‘lifeline’ for victims of domestic abuse
Refuge promotes 24-hour helpline with assistance of famous figures
Celebrities including Olivia Colman and Lorraine Kelly backed a domestic abuse helpline campaign to mark International Women’s Day.
Refuge promoted its national 24-hour helpline yesterday in the hope that more women at risk will reach out for help and support.
Kelly was one of several famous women replacing their names and photos on Twitter with information about the free helpline.
Colman voiced adverts screened on Sky and A+E Networks UK.
The number – 0808 2000 247 – was also projected on the largest advertising display in Europe, London’s Piccadilly lights, at midday.
Kelly said: “It is a disgrace that in 2020 we live in a world where so many women experience domestic abuse. The numbers are shocking. No woman should live in fear. That needs to change, today.”
Domestic abuse is one of the biggest issues faced by women and children, with around a third of women thought to experience abuse during their lifetime.
Refuge chief executive Sandra Horley said: “Refuge’s freephone 24-hour national domestic abuse helpline is at the heart of how this country responds to domestic abuse.
“It is a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of women across the country.
“0808 2000 247 is a number that every woman should know.”
Survivor Natasha said she could “quite easily” have been one of the two women killed a week by their partner or ex-partner in England and Wales.
She said: “I called the National Domestic Abuse Helpline after experiencing years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of my ex-husband. I was living in a prison and I needed to protect myself and my children.
“As I dialled the helpline number I didn’t know what to expect. I was pacing the kitchen, terrified my ex-husband might find out, but the helpline worker was so understanding.
“She validated my concerns and she reminded me that I wasn’t alone – I could leave my abuser and with Refuge’s support, I could carve a new life for my family.”