Birmingham Community Safety Partnership has launched its Spring domestic violence & abuse awareness raising campaign. The ‘This is domestic abuse’ campaign seeks to inform victims, their families and friends that coercive control is a form of domestic abuse and to raise awareness of the help available for victims.
The campaign is aimed at raising awareness of coercive control and its definition and helping women understand that a pattern of controlling or coercive behaviour is a form of domestic abuse under the Serious Crime Act 2015. The new offence closes a gap in the law around patterns of controlling or coercive behaviour in an ongoing relationship between intimate partners or family members. The offence carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a fine or both. The Government’s definition also includes honour based violence, female genital mutilation and forced marriage.
The posters used in the campaign show behaviours and relationship characteristics that women may experience while being in a controlling relationship. It is hoped that this will help victims recognise what healthy relationships and love really look like, what is acceptable in relationships and seek help should they need to.
The campaign directs women to services who can provide support and assistance to victims themselves or their family and friends. Although women are the most likely victims of domestic abuse, there are also specialist services for men experiencing domestic abuse and for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans victims.
The campaign will use a variety of media to raise awareness including advertising on pharmacy bags across the city (125 pharmacies), inside buses and trains, at station platforms, at supermarkets and within station toilets. There will also be promotion via social media outlets using #thisisdomesticabuse
Councillor Shafique Shah, Cabinet Member for Inclusion and Community Safety commented: “As a City we are dedicated to protecting victims of domestic violence. Many women will not recognise coercive control in their own relationship as abuse and so it is vitally important that family and friends recognise their role in supporting victims. Working alongside the city’s support services we must work together at the victims pace to support her, be there for her and not judge her."
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson supporting the campaign said: “This is an excellent campaign. Anything that empowers victims and helps them break out of the cycle of abuse gets 100% of my support. Tackling domestic abuse – in any form – is one of my main priorities as Police and Crime Commissioner and we must do whatever it takes to bring this hidden crime out of the shadows and tackle it head on.
"I hope this campaign helps victims realise it is never their fault and there is a support network out there to help them.”
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As family and friends, you don’t need to be specialists to spot that something isn’t right. You don’t need to have all the answers but you can tell your friend/ relative that they’re not alone:
- 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence and abuse.
- She is never to blame, no matter what her abuser says.
- Without help and intervention domestic abuse usually gets worse
- We can help her to make plans for protecting herself and her children
- The earlier she gets advice and support, the more options will be available to her
- Even if she isn’t usually entitled to any government financial support, we can advise her on how to be safe
- National Domestic Violence Freephone Helpline: 0808 2000 247
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