Friday 5 June 2009

You shouldn't have to cover up this summer

A new campaign is aiming to get the message across to local people that they shouldn’t have to cover up the results of domestic abuse this summer.

Thanet’s Domestic Abuse Forum’s campaign will see bus tickets being distributed during June with the details of local services which can help people experiencing domestic abuse. Up to 363,000 tickets will be printed during this time and will be distributed on all Stagecoach buses in Thanet.

Alongside that, posters will be displayed at venues such as Surestart Children’s Centres, council offices and other public places. The poster displays the campaign message “you shouldn’t have to cover up this summer” and again, gives important contact numbers for those who need help. The summer campaign is timed to coincide with a seasonal peak in calls to the police reporting domestic abuse.

These campaigns are being supported by Thanet Community Safety Partnership, Oasis Domestic Abuse Service and the KM newsgroup. Thorley Taverns will also be displaying the posters in all their Thanet branches.

Dee Neligan, Thanet’s Domestic Abuse Coordinator, said: “We are encouraging people who suffer from domestic abuse to come forward and get the help that they need this summer. There is usually a rise in reporting during the summer months, which can be due to a number of factors such as the children being at home during the school holidays, and people drinking during the hot weather. The Thanet Domestic Abuse Forum have chosen the idea of advertising contact numbers on the back of bus tickets because this is a safe and discreet way to carry the information around on you in case you need it. Hopefully, with the posters being advertised locally too, we will see more people breaking free of the cycle of abuse, violence and fear.”

If you, or someone you know, is suffering from domestic abuse, they do not need to do so in silence. There is help out there for them. Please contact one of these numbers:

National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 247 2000
Kent Domestic Violence Information Line: 0845 603 6813
Men’s Advice Line: 0808 801 0327
Broken Rainbow (for LGBT communities): 08452 604 460
The Freedom Programme: 01843 577 729
IN AN EMERGENCY, ALWAYS CALL 999.

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