Wiltshire-based domestic abuse charity marks 30 years
They've been sharing stories of people using their service
Wiltshire-based domestic abuse charity FearFree are marking their 30th anniversary by sharing some of the experiences of their clients.
The charity was launched in 1993 to help single parents, but it became evident that domestic abuse was one of the main challenges people were dealing with.
And over the last three decades, the scale and complexity of domestic abuse has grown, meaning the charity has been forced to adapt accordingly.
But their support isn’t limited to those being abused, as FearFree CEO Claire Marshall told us:
“We have always felt really strongly that you can't just tackle the issue from the victim's perspective.
“It's important to tackle the abusers themselves. And although that's an incredibly complex issue because many abusers have been abused themselves or have experienced domestic abuse in their lifetime.”
Pandemic triggered surge in people coming forward
The volume of people coming forward to FearFree doubled in the pandemic.
And Claire says that when they have increased publicity, there are more and more people coming forward.
FearFree welcome all forms of people reaching out to them, whether it’s just someone giving them a call or those who are in crisis and in danger.
Claire told Greatest Hits Radio that domestic abuse is a ‘bottomless pit’.
“The awareness of this issue is still at its in its infancy so but it definitely our referrals have doubled, the fact probably tripled by now since the pandemic and our services have expanded accordingly.
“We've doubled in size.”
FearFree can be contacted for support with domestic abuse through their website.
Support for all involved in abuse
As mentioned earlier, FearFree believe in supporting both victim and perpetrator.
They feel that’s the way to break the cycle of abuse.
“Where an individual is able to acknowledge their own behaviour and doesn't want that behaviour and wants to be a better partner and wants to be a better father, then we have a road forward,” Claire said.
She added: ““It isn't about excusing the abuse. It's about getting to the heart of the problem.
“70 or 80% of perpetrators have actually been abused themselves or been brought up in that environment and therefore have been conditioned that way.”
But with FearFree’s help and support, abusers are able to process and understand what’s happened to them, allowing them to hold the tools needed to change their behaviour.
There have been occasions where perpetrators have reformed their lives and gone on to become foster parents.