Domestic Abuse Support Services

Women’s Aid –  https://www.womensaid.org.uk/

Respect – The Men’s Advice Line https://mensadviceline.org.uk/  0808 8010 327

Mankind – Support for Men – https://mankind.org.uk/  0808 800 1170

DV Assist – For help arranging court orders https://www.dvassist.org.uk/  0300 0040 375

National Stalking helpline https://www.suzylamplugh.org/Pages/Category/national-stalking-helpline   0808 802 0300

Karma Nirvana – Honour Based Abuse or Forced Marriage https://karmanirvana.org.uk/get-help/helpline 0800 5999 247

Forced Marriage Helpline 0207 0080151 or out of hours 0207 008 1500

NSPCC Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Helpline  https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/female-genital-mutilation-fgm/    0800 028 3550

Galop – LGBTQ+ helpline https://galop.org.uk/get-help/helplines/  0800 999 5428

Loving Me – Support for trans and non-binary people who have experienced sexual & domestic abuse https://www.lovingme.uk/ 07902 478958

Signhealth https://signhealth.org.uk/with-deaf-people/domestic-abuse/

Respond – Support for people with learning disabilities or autism https://respond.org.uk/independent-sexual-violence-advocacy-isva-service-2/  0207 380 8257

Southall Black Sisters https://southallblacksisters.org.uk/our-services/domestic-abuse-helpline/ 020 8571 0800

Sistah Space – Supporting African & Caribbean Heritage Women https://www.sistahspace.org/ 0207 846 8350

Traveller Movement -Advice for Gypsy, Roma & Traveller Communities https://women.travellermovement.org.uk/domestic-abuse/what-is-abuse/

IKWRO – Help for Middle Eastern, North African and Afgan Women http://ikwro.org.uk/ 0207 920 6460

Jewish Women’s Aid – https://www.jwa.org.uk/ 0808 801 0500

Sharan – Support for South Asian Women https://sharan.org.uk/ 0844 504 3231

Opoka – Polish Community Support http://www.opoka.org.uk/ 0300 365 1700

Latin American Women’s Rights https://lawrs.org.uk/  0808 145 4909

Emotional & Psychological Abuse: Regular and deliberate use of words and non-physical actions to manipulate, hurt or frighten someone and to distort, confuse or influence their thoughts and actions.

Are you told this is all your fault or you are to blame?

Are you called names or belittled?

Are you told you are just imagining things or made to doubt your own sanity?

Is your race, ethnicity, immigration status, disability, substance abuse or mental health used against you?

Is your gender or orientation used as a basis for threats, intimidation or harm?

Does the abuser say if you leave they will hurt or kill themselves or you or children?

Do you feel like you are walking on eggshells?

Does the abuser threaten to ‘out’ your orientation or gender identity or intentionally use the wrong pronouns?

Do you get silent treatment or some sort of punishment if you don’t do what the abuser wants?

Coercive control:  A range of acts designed to make a person subordinate or dependent, isolating them from support by using threats, intimidation and humiliation.  Controlling what someone can do, isolating them from friends and family, constant criticism, threats of suicide or harm, damage to property and abuse of pets.

Are you told when you can see and speak your family and friends?

Do you have to account for  what you are doing and when?

Are you told you have to look a certain way or what to eat?

Is your social media, phone and email use accessed or controlled by the abuser?

Are they using the children against you or making threats towards them?

Do you have to be accompanied to appointments with doctors or other professionals?

Does the abuser deny you access to medical treatment, support to aid your disability, hormones or birth control?

Have you been stopped from taking part in hobbies or activities?

Do you feel pressure to answer a call or message from the abuser as quickly as possible?

Physical Abuse: Includes any physical violence, injury and harm – or the threat of physical harm.

Physical abuse can include things like hitting, slapping, punching, pushing, choking, strangling, burning, scalding or biting.

Using weapons or other objects to throw at you or hit you with.

Do you feel anxious or scared of the

Sexual Abuse: Any non-consensual or coercive sexual activity.   It can include rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment & exploitation, sharing or creating sexual images without consent.  

Are you forced into any sexual activity against your wishes?

Has any sexual activity taken place when you could not consent? E.g. When asleep.

Does the abuser refuse to practise safe sex when you wish to?

Does the abuser get angry of punish you if you don’t agree to sex?

Has the abuser taken explicit photos of you or created ‘deepfake’ images and shared them without permission?

Economic/Financial Abuse: Using money as a way to control or cause harm to someone by preventing them from accessing, using or keeping money. Limiting opportunity to work or claim benefits, refusing access to a bank account, dictating how money is spent, stealing money or running up debts. Economic abuse can also involve controlling other resources such as housing and food. 

Are you given a strict budget or made to account for everything you spend?

Are you prevented from studying or working to earn your own money?

Are  you made to hand over your money to the abuser?

Have loans or credit cards been taken out in your name and debts run up by the abuser?

Tech/online abuse: When technology is misused to monitor, control, stalk, harass or impersonate someone. It may involve controlling social media use or devices, monitoring locations or tracking someone, threatening to share confidential, humiliating or embarrassing information online or sending malicious messages.

Are you sent abusive, indecent or threatening messages, texts or emails?

Do you get constant calls or messages or silent calls?

Are you made to share your location, passwords or agree to be monitored?

Does the abuser turn up where you are or know things you think they shouldn’t?

Have you noticed apps on your phone you don’t recognise?

Has the abuser threatened to share personal information or photos online without permission

‘Honour’ based abuse:  The term ‘Honour’ based abuse is used to describe a range of abuse by relatives or partner/ex-partners to defend their perceived ‘honour’ – though there is never any honour in or justification for abuse. It can take many forms, including ‘honour’ killings, rape and sexual abuse, physical abuse, child marriage, virginity testing, enforced abortion, kidnapping, imprisonment, emotional abuse and coercive control.

Forced marriage: A forced marriage occurs where one or both people do not or cannot consent and pressure or abuse is used to force them into or remain in an unwanted marriage.  This is a crime.  Forced marriages are different to ‘arranged marriages’ where parents and relatives may help in the choosing of marriage partners but the ultimate decision remains with the persons getting married.

FGM: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed for no medical reason.  It’s also known as female circumcision, cutting and by other terms.  FGM is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15.  It’s illegal in the UK and it is illegal to take someone out of the country to do this.  Sometimes children are told they are ‘going away for a celebration’, ‘becoming a woman’ or being ‘prepared for marriage’.