{"id":12193,"date":"2022-03-04T10:40:51","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T10:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/?p=12193"},"modified":"2022-03-15T11:00:50","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T11:00:50","slug":"say-no-more-to-domestic-violence-and-sexual-assault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/say-no-more-to-domestic-violence-and-sexual-assault\/","title":{"rendered":"Say \u2018no more\u2019 to domestic violence and sexual assault"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sunday 06 to Saturday 12 March 2022 is No More Week. Held annually, the aim is to inspire individuals, organisations and communities to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault.<\/strong><\/p>\n Although domestic violence is a significant and ever-increasing issue, one of the most difficult aspects is that it is so well hidden. Recognising the signs may be difficult and knowing what to say to someone you suspect may be a victim is challenging.<\/p>\n We want to support individuals to make change by helping them identify the signs and giving advice on how best to talk to someone that you suspect may be being abused.<\/p>\n Signs of domestic violence<\/strong><\/p>\n Every case we see is different, but we\u2019ve outlined some of the more common signs that a person is being abused below.<\/p>\n Physical indications<\/strong><\/p>\n Look out for injuries covered up with clothing, heavy makeup or sunglasses. A victim may also be reluctant to hug if their arms or ribs hurt and will likely have a weak reason how they came to be injured when questioned.<\/p>\n Injuries may include:<\/p>\n Behavioural red flags<\/strong><\/p>\n Striking up a conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n No matter how well your intentions and how close you are to the victim, knowing what to say to encourage them to seek help can be difficult.<\/p>\n Try to find the right space and time.<\/strong>\u00a0Talking 1-1 in a private setting is better than approaching them in a group. A night out is also not the right time as the victim may be trying to relax and escape the reality of home for a while, so will not want to talk about it.<\/p>\n Keep the conversation positive<\/strong>\u00a0Even if they feel down and are quiet, tell them how much you value their friendship and what fun they are to be around. Remember that their confidence is likely to be low, so boost their spirits by complimenting them.<\/p>\n Calmly voice your concerns<\/strong>\u00a0and let them open up if they wish. Don\u2019t force them to divulge details or ask too many questions otherwise they may question your intentions. Reassure them that you are there to listen and support them. This is their safe space to use how they wish.<\/p>\n Try to gently make them understand that they are not to blame for their situation<\/strong>. Victims often blame themselves because the perpetrator has persuaded them that this is the case. They are likely to make excuses for their abuser and try to justify their behaviour. They may also feel that what they\u2019re experiencing is part and parcel of being in a normal relationship. Most couples have problems at some stage, but an abusive relationship will see one of the couple controlling, intimidating and physically and emotionally harming the other.<\/p>\n Be careful not to be too heavy-handed<\/strong>\u00a0because they may shut down and helping them will become impossible. Instead, steer the conversation towards how the abuse is making them feel so that it\u2019s fully focussed on them. This will make them think about the perpetrator\u2019s behaviour and they may draw their own conclusions on what is right and wrong.\u00a0 Saying that you\u2019d feel the same way helps acknowledge how they\u2019re feeling.<\/p>\n You may be tempted to say \u2018just leave\u2019 but, although it\u2019s hard to understand why they would show loyalty to their abuser, they are likely to be under their control and such demands only mimic that dominant behaviour. It may also be that they have no financial independence or that they don\u2019t want to break up their family. They may also feel so helpless they imagine there is no escape.<\/p>\n Help them create an exit plan<\/strong>\u00a0so that they are ready to leave when they have the opportunity. The plan may include identifying a safe place to go and having a bag packed ready. Advise them to take their keys, passport and copies of any bills in their name or joint names. They should also change any passwords or codes for devices and online accounts that they wouldn\u2019t want their abuser to access. Setting up two-factor authentication will also offer further security. It is advisable for them to get their post redirected. Encourage them to keep notes or diarise when events have happened if they can.<\/p>\n Try to avoid saying he\/she seemed nice<\/strong>\u00a0or that they seemed the perfect couple. Abusers rarely, if ever, show their true colours in front of other people. They can often be popular and well-liked in company or out in public but change when they\u2019re behind closed doors.\u00a0 The fact that the perpetrator can fool everybody may cause further embarrassment.<\/p>\n Offer solutions without being pushy<\/strong>. Options could include:<\/p>\n Assure them that they\u2019re not alone and thank them for talking to you as it allows you the opportunity to help them.<\/p>\n Where to get help<\/strong><\/p>\n Below are some phone numbers and email addresses where anyone can talk in confidence to specially trained people.<\/p>\n For women:<\/p>\n For men:<\/p>\n LGBT+:<\/p>\n Forced marriage and honour crime:<\/p>\n Other places you can ask for help include pharmacies, a GP, midwife or health visitor. If you email for help, please confirm the best time for someone to email you back when you are typically safe to read their reply and respond to it.<\/p>\n Contacting us<\/strong><\/p>\n If you need legal advice on any type of abuse, call us on 0116 340 0094 or email\u00a0hello@agrlaw.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sunday 06 to Saturday 12 March 2022 is No More Week. Held annually, the aim is to inspire individuals, organisations and communities to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault. Although domestic violence is a significant and ever-increasing issue, one of the most difficult aspects is that it is so well hidden. Recognising the … Continue reading Say \u2018no more\u2019 to domestic violence and sexual assault<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12193"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12193"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12195,"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12193\/revisions\/12195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrlaw.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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