Safe Spots: How the women of Wythenshawe are “stepping out” to rid a life of domestic violence
Domestic violence is a national problem but a new approach in the Greater Manchester area, with funding by the Greater Manchester Police’s Domestic Violence unit, is a new approach that looks to put “power back into the hands of those who have experienced domestic abuse”.
The people of Wythenshawe came out in droves to vote for the services they wanted to see included in the Safe Spots centres on 21 November.
The innovative project to create “Safe Spots” centres was the joint inspiration of a local women’s group and partnership between Movement and the Greater Manchester Police.
Sarah Judge, a Community Organiser — from Movement for Change — said: “The project was the inspiration by women with little experience of being active in public life” and have achieved a huge amount over the past year being involved with the Safe Spots project in Wythenshawe.”
Reported by the Guardian, an estimated 1.4 million women were victims of domestic abuse in 2013–14, according to the latest UK crime statistics.
Charities have warned that the national provision of services for women and children suffering from domestic abuse are at breaking point, as refuges close or under threat of closure.
But the problem of domestic abuse is much bigger than shown in official statistics — as many victims and children don’t tell anyone about the abuse, and they are not recorded as crimes by police.
Judge says what makes the difference is “the very small things”: the way the police introduce themselves, the ability for people to make their own decisions, and if the victim feels they are being listened to.
Judge’s aim is to secure funding for the Safe Spot women’s centre and ensure the projects continuity into the future.
Today the people of Wythenshawe took big steps to support those experiencing domestic abuse and to help survivors develop healthy relationships and to rebuild their lives in the community.
