Adur Councillors Unanimously Agree To Support Abuse Victims

Adur District Council has agreed to play its part in tackling domestic abuse by supporting adults and children whose abusive situations may have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Debs Stainforth (Lab, Southlands) submitted a motion to the full council on Thursday (July 22) calling on ADC to recognise those affected by the ‘often hidden crime’.

The motion reads:

“This council recognises that violence against women and girls can include, or be linked to, domestic abuse.

“This is often a hidden crime unreported to the police and although both men and women are affected, incidence and severity are much greater for women.

“Domestic and family violence can affect well-being and developmental growth of children and teenagers both in the short and long term.

“The Coronavirus pandemic has further caused what one worker described as ‘an epidemic beneath a pandemic’.”

Ms Stainforth noted the number of calls to Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline during the pandemic which increased by 61 per cent between April 2020 and February 2021.

Between February 2020 and March 2021, 72 per cent of calls were from women who said they were experiencing violence and abuse with a fifth saying their abuser had threatened to kill them.

She said:

“For the last 20 or so years since we have been keeping statistics, we know there have been two women killed – and I’ll make no apology for talking mainly about women here – at least two women a week killed by their partners in this country and so many children are actually killed by these partners too.

“For the first time during this pandemic there has been a rise on that two people a week and it’s tragic. Tragically, statistics show that more female homicide victims are killed by their partner or an ex-partner than by strangers.”

Sharon Sluman (Lab, Mash Barn), who seconded the motion, also recognised the impact of the pandemic on domestic abuse, saying:

“I cannot recall a period in my lifetime when the propensity for domestic violence has been so high in our communities.”

She said the pandemic has created a ‘shadow pandemic of violence’ which could continue due to the economic impacts of Covid. She added:

“Insecurity in employment and housing and financial matters are known risk factors for the onset of such violence.”

Ms Stainforth’s motion acknowledges work done by council to tackle domestic abuse and violence in collaboration with other bodies. However, she called on councillors to recognise ‘weaknesses in our systems and structures’ which she said were exposed by the pandemic.

She highlighted ‘local and national shortages of refuge spaces’ and the fact that there is no women’s refuge in Adur.

Ms Sluman also recognised that demand for domestic abuse services ‘continues to exceed available provision’ adding that this leaves women with ‘impossible choices’ such as returning to abusers, facing homelessness or ‘losing their children’.

She said:

“We have services to be proud of in Adur but we cannot afford to be complacent. We are not yet meeting the needs of all service users because not everybody has equal access to these services.”

Ms Sluman labelled domestic abuse a ‘major public health problem’ and referred to the financial cost of such abuse reaching £66 billion in the year ending March 2017. “That’s pre-viral pandemic,” she added.

Angus Dunn (Con, Hillside) called for the motion to be made ‘even stronger’ to call on the council to ‘further develop’ its work with partners.

Councillors voted unanimously to support the motion, inclusive of Mr Dunn’s amendment. The motion is ‘declaratory’ which means it is not expected to cost the council any money or result in any ‘substantive action’.

A similar motion was also discussed and agreed during a full meeting of Worthing Borough Council last Tuesday (July 20).

Safe in Sussex helpline is open Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 3.00pm – Call 01903 896202. Visit www.safeinsussex.co.uk

National Domestic Violence Helpline can be called free 24 hours at 0808 2000 247 or visit www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk