'He's beaten her black and blue for years': a month in the life of a women's refuge manager
Over the past year, reports of domestic violence have risen enormously – while refuge places are scarce. One woman explains what it is like trying to help those who have fled for their lives
The number of domestic-abuse-related deaths trebled in the UK in 2020, compared with 2019. Photograph: tapui/Getty Images/iStockphoto
The number of domestic-abuse-related deaths trebled in the UK in 2020, compared with 2019. Photograph: tapui/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Wed 17 Feb 2021 01.00 EST
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on women in abusive relationships, trapping them in their homes with violent, manipulative or controlling men. The UN described the global increase in domestic abuse as a “shadow pandemic”, and in the first seven weeks of lockdown there was a domestic abuse call to UK police every 30 seconds. The Centre for Women’s Justice noted the number of domestic-abuse-related deaths trebled in the UK in 2020, compared with 2019. At the heart of this storm are women’s refuges, places of sanctuary that have seen their funding slashed in recent years. How are refuges coping? Here, we follow one manager over the course of a month.