HELPING TO ‘UNRAVEL
THE TRUTH’
They
investigated and the report shone the spotlight on a shocking picture of domestic
abuse in rural Britain, with hidden victims left isolated and unprotected and
being failed by the system, services and even those around them. Emily Brailsford, Manager Willow Project
From the
Landworker magazine of Unite the union Spring 2023
Domestic
violence is devastating in any circumstances but can be a more pernicious problem
in rural areas, where isolation and fewer accessible support services increase
the risk of ongoing harm.
This was
highlighted in a new short film Dawn’s Story, created in conjunction
with Rural Media, a charity, by the Willow Project of Rural Action Derbyshire (RAD)
with funding from Derbyshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
The film begins
with Dawn, played by Coronation Street Star Vanessa Hehir, and her
husband Peter, a farmer, transporting to school their daughter Hattie along a
remote Derbyshire lane. On arrival Dawn walks Hattie to the school gate but
when conversations with teachers delay her return, Peter becomes hostile when
his wife re-enters the car.
Later,
Hattie tells Peter she is pregnant but is forced to wait anxiously for his
response.
The story
presents a powerful insight into how many victims of domestic abuse feel
trapped and unsure how to seek help.
Fortunately,
in this case Dawn’s friends and the local police officer, all of whom had
started to become concerned for her welfare, come to her rescue. It is how it
should be. But not everyone has the support they need.
The numbers
experiencing domestic abuse nationally are significant and rising, according to
the Office for National Statistics, with 1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 years established
to have been victims in 2019-20.
Over 100
women and a much smaller number of men are murdered by their partners annually.
There are only 261 refuges in the
country, ands they have to turn away people in need each day, due to a shortfall in government funding of around
£200 million, according to the charity Women’s Aid.
Emily
Brailsford is the
manager of the Willow Project, which was developed after a
mapping exercise of all the domestic abuse calls received by the national Rural
Crime Network (RCN) revealed there were places where no one rang from.
“They knew the abuse was happening and so wondered why
people were not calling in. They investigated and the report ‘Captive & Controlled –
Domestic Abuse in Rural Areas’ shone the spotlight on a shocking picture of
domestic abuse in rural Britain, with hidden victims left isolated and
unprotected and being failed by a system, services and even those around them.”
Alice (not her real name) is one such person. “I
was desperately searching for answers and googled rural domestic abuse in 2019
as I needed help in understanding what was happening to myself at the hands of
my partner, who was a farmer,” Alice said, “We lived in an isolated, tight knit
farming community in a northern area. Willows ran an online help course for
victims of domestic rural abuse and which was attended by Derbyshire police.
“I was searching for explanations. The Willows
Project really resonated with me. They pointed out the Captive and Controlled
report and it helped unravel my trauma. I reached out for help and I am so grateful
that they gave it to me. I would recommend anyone in a similar situation to
contact the project.”
Emily started her new job on February 10th
2020. Her great ideas to get out and meet as many people as possible were all
put on hold when COVID threw the country into lockdown.
“We had to change everything. But actually, it worked,
“said Emily. “We do lots of social media and I now do all of the training
online now. We get many people wanting to do it and also support our work by
volunteering as community champions.”
“Following COVID I have been getting out with an
information stall to Country Shows and to the farmer’s weekly market in
Bakewell. More and more people are acknowledging me; they are not necessarily
talking to me about domestic abuse as that will take time.”
Since Emily’s role is to highlight domestic abuse, she
doesn’t take on cases but she refers those experiencing domestic abuse to professional
agencies such as the police and the 3 (*) refuge projects across Derbyshire.
Emily hailed the film production. “I was delighted when it was decided to make a
drama film and it has been a big success,” she said. “People have seen it
worldwide including in New Zealand. Everybody is very proud of the finished
work and more importantly it is being watched by the people who most need to
see it and that is those experiencing and those wanting to tackle and prevent
domestic abuse in rural communities. “
The Ministry of Justice provided some funding for the
film. The production company Rural Media is from Hertfordshire. The experiences
of a frontline domestic abuse worker provided the background to the work.
Brailsford’s strong belief that firearms should feature was included. It is a
really good piece of work.
This is demonstrated by the numbers calling the
Helpline that the Willows Project set up two years ago and which in the last
quarter reached a record high of 18
Need help?
You can contact the Willow Project helpline at
0800 198668
You can also find out more about domestic violence and
abuse on the Women’s Aid website www.womensaid.org.uk
- These
are Crossroads in High Peak, The Elm Foundation and Derbyshire Wish.
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