Domestic Abuse Support

Need advice now? Call National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247
For emergency help please call 999

What is domestic abuse?

“Domestic abuse as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer. It is very common. In the vast majority of cases it is experienced by women and is perpetrated by men.” – Women’s Aid 2022

• Coercive control (a pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence)
• Psychological and/or emotional abuse [2].
• Physical or sexual abuse.
• Financial or economic abuse.
• Harassment and stalking.
• Online or digital abuse.

What help is available?

Domestic abuse services are usually community based or refuge services. A community service is a safe space you can visit and a refuge service is a safe space that may offer accommodation.

Who can I talk to?

There are is a lot of support available in many different forms.

If you need emergency support because you are in immediate danger please call 999, if you are on a mobile and can’t speak press 55 – find out more about calling the police when you can’t speak.

If you are deaf or you cannot use the phone, you can register for the emergencySMS service – find out more about the emergencySMS service.

For government guidance and translated materials click here.

Organisations who can help:

Dahlia Project – FGM support

Forward – FGM support

Galop – LGBT+ support

Karma Nirvana – Honour based abuse

Mankind – Support for men

Men’s Advice Line – Support for men

National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247

NHS

NSPCC – Support for under 18s

Refuge – Support for women and children

Women’s Aid – Support for women

Victim Support – Support for anyone that has been the victim of a crime or traumatic incident.

The Survivors Handbook

A Women’s Aid resource available in multiple languages and formats. To read The Survivors Handbook in English click here. Click here for additional languages.

For English audio recordings click here, for additional languages click here.