"Action must follow words"- Norfolk domestic abuse charity on White Ribbon Day
White Ribbon Day is a global movement which aims to end violence against women
Today and for the sixteen days that follow we're all being asked to help end violence against women as part of White Ribbon Day 2021.
This comes after latest data from the Office of National Statistics show there were over thirteen thousand domestic abuse crimes in the county last year.
While 22% of recorded crimes in Norfolk were classed as domestic abuse related, in the year ending March 2021.
Rhys Lloyd is the from domestic abuse charity, Leeway. He told us that local responses to these type of campaigns have previously been good, but the stats show there's still more to do:
"In the past we've seen a very good response to local campaigns that are aimed at getting local employers to take action against domestic abuse in the work place and these are continuing. But obviously there's always more that can be done.
"We've all got a role to play when it comes to raising awareness and promoting what the day is about. Obviously beyond that we need to take action to ensure that it's not just a day that people commemorate and then forget. It should serve as a reminder of what we need to be doing throughout the course of the year".
He went on to say that all the numbers are going in the wrong direction:
"We've seen an increase in the number of people contacting us for advice and support. So it really drives home the message about how important it is to keep getting the message out there.
"The increases in numbers are pretty shocking, we like to think we live in a society where domestic abuse doesn't happen. But the reality of the situation is that it does exist and the Covid pandemic has just been masking this pandemic".
He concluded by saying that it's important to note that violence and abuse often take many different forms:
"Coercive control is not always about violence, but it is about subtle psychological control elements and I'm not sure that people have a great understanding of that just yet. So I think in terms of that there's a lot of work to do. A lot of this is about working together with local groups and authorities to make sure that we're unified in our message".