‘Toolkit’ has the power to raise awareness of domestic abuse

JEWISH WOMEN’S Aid is aiming to raise awareness of domestic abuse and sexual violence within British Jewry through a community toolkit.

Released in advance of JWA’s crosscommunal Shabbat on November 12/13, the toolkit includes an overview of domestic abuse, a case study of a woman helped by the charity during the pandemic and fact sheets.

As a snapshot of demand, it gives figures for the April-September period this year, when JWA supported 301 women and girls.

Fifty-eight had experienced sexual violence; 72 received counselling at the charity.

During the six months, 125 calls were made to JWA’s domestic abuse helpline and eight referrals of high risk or vulnerable clients and their children were made to statutory bodies.

Among the 245 children linked to the women supported, 23 received specialist one-to-one therapy.

The charity hopes that the toolkit resources will be shared informally or used in shul or educational settings.

“The main point is to increase knowledge and open up the conversation in our community.”

JWA CEO Naomi Dickson said that much more needed to be done “to make our community safer for women. And much of that task is breaking the taboo around domestic abuse and sexual violence.

“If we talk about it, and the fact that it happens in our community just like any other, then we help create spaces where harming women, either physically or emotionally, is unacceptable and women feel supported.

“We hope that by providing these resources, we can encourage more of these conversations, especially on November 12/13.”