The *reality* of domestic abuse during lockdown: exclusive research for tonight’s @BBCPanorama shows someone called police for help about domestic abuse every THIRTY SECONDS

[thread ] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53781734

as soon as the PM announced lockdown on that night back in March, one of my first thoughts was - what about those living with a violent partner or parent? They would be trapped at home with their abuser effectively 24/7

Those calls to police came from right across the UK, & came from both women & men.

The first in-depth research on the impact of lockdown on DA has been carried out by @womensaid for Panorama.

Two thirds of those living with an abuser said violence got worse under lockdown

I met ‘Jess’ who had been in a long, violent marriage. After Boris Johnson told us all to stay at home, her husband turned to her and said, chillingly, ‘Let the games begin’.

She said that during lockdown he raped her over a 100 times.

3 wks into lockdown he told her she wouldn’t see daylight again. Jess (not her real name) was terrified, & knew she had to get out or she’d be leaving her home in a ‘wooden box’.
There was a further problem - her husband never left her alone in a room - so she couldn’t call 999

When her husband was asleep on the sofa, she took her chance. Terrified, she googled ‘how to contact police without calling them’ - then she texted REGISTER to 999, and after receiving an initial response, she sent them her address. Officers arrived within minutes, thank god.

@JournoJoJo @emmaailes @AlysEliza & I have spent months talking to survivors & domestic abuse workers for tonight’s programme. Not one of them said they’d seen any evidence that government had considered the risks of domestic abuse before announcing lockdown.

The boss of @SolaceWomensAid Fiona Dwyer told me..

‘If you look at who was in the Cabinet, it's a lot of very privileged men. So maybe it's not an issue they think about’

It was 19 days after lockdown was imposed before government announced £2m extra for domestic abuse helplines & launched the ‘you are not alone’ social media campaign. Fiona Dwyer says ‘inaction & slowness to respond’ made an already challenging situation harder for them

In other research in @BBCPanorama many survivors say lockdown and covid19 was used by their abuser as a way of controlling them.

Jess managed to escape and is now safe in a wonderful refuge run by a small charity in Wales called @LlamauUK . The staff there are AMAZING. They are skilled, dedicated and just lovely. And there’s a strong bond between the survivors who support each other.

But @BBCPanorama reveals that there were 1100 fewer available beds in refuges compared to this time last year - that’s a drop of 42%. They were hit by staff shortages, social distancing rules and a lack of PPE.

The government did give millions to domestic abuse services eventually - & most received the emergency funding they applied for. Safeguarding Minister Victoria Atkins told me they weren’t ‘slow to act’, that they had been ‘very much alive’ to DA risks under lockdown

The Men’s Advice Line for male victims of domestic abuse saw a rise of 65% in calls between April and July 2020 compared to the same period last year. Calls to a helpline run by Galop for LBGT+ victims doubled.

Under lockdown, DA incidents recorded by police include poisoning, kidnap, arson and revenge porn.

I interview one young woman for tonight’s programme who said her boyfriend force fed her.

‘I had no other words but ‘no’ ....on one occasion I was physically sick’ she told me

‘Sophie’ left her boyfriend and is now living in accomodation provided by the council. She’s supported by @MySisters_House which is a women’s drop-in centre in Bognor Regis which has recently opened its doors again after lockdown eased.

As for my own experience growing up - going to school was respite from my violent father. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be trapped at home with him, week after week, with little chance of getting away from his vile behaviour

Thank you SO much to the courageous people who spoke to us about their experiences, and to the domestic abuse workers on the ground who were under such pressure during lockdown.

You are incredible.

‘Escaping my abuser’, tonight’s @BBCPanorama 7.30pm @BBCOne

PS sustainable funding in the future from the government for domestic abuse services? Statutory funding, by law?

It’s a no brainer isn’t it?