Bedfordshire charity anticipates rise in domestic violence during Euros
The UEFA Euro Championships started on Friday - with England facing Serbia in their opener later today
A domestic abuse charity in Bedfordshire is telling us they're expecting to see an increase in calls during the Euros.
The National Council for Domestic Violence says it saw a 20% jump in referrals after England lost in the final of the 2021 tournament against Italy.
Caroline Cook, Chief Executive of Luton All Women's Centre, said: "It's something that, as providers of domestic abuse services, every time there is a big football match or particularly big tournaments, we know that there is going to be an increase in domestic abuse."
"From research statistics, we can see that whether people's kind of favourite teams win or whether they lose, actually the rise in domestic abuse is pretty much the same."
It's very much to say also to the perpetrators of domestic abuse that using for example, you 'oh, I was drunk' or 'I was excited by the match', using these excuses is not a way to go and it will not hold up."
"Perpetrators can choose not to commit domestic abuse."
While the charity is available to women in urgent need, and longer term support, the main message remains that the crime is unacceptable and will be investigated.
Ms Cook added: "If a woman is in immediate danger or an incident has happened, then we would really encourage her to contact the police because obviously that's the the first sort of emergency service to go to."
"But we we know that many women they won't feel comfortable reporting for for all sorts of different reason, and we work with many women who choose not to report initially and as they work with us, gain the confidence to feel they can report."
If you’re affected by issues raised in this article, there is help available from your local domestic abuse service on Women's Aid's website, or if you are local to Luton, you can contact the charity Luton All Women's Centre.
· The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247 (run by Refuge)
· The Men’s Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors is 0808 801 0327 (run by Respect)
· The National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0800 999 5428 (run by Galop)
If you are in immediate danger always call 999.