Domestic violence charities saw a huge increase in appeals for help from people suffering domestic abuse during the pandemic, saying that the lockdowns exposed the true scale of the problem.
Refuge, a national charity running a 24-hour helpline for abuse victims, saw a 60 per cent increase in calls and messages to its National Domestic Abuse helpline from April 2020 to February 2021, compared to the months before the pandemic began.
Almost three in four of these calls were from women who said they were experiencing violence and abuse. Nearly a fifth said the abuser had threatened to kill them.

From just £3 per week
Research from Women’s Aid found that one in five refuge services running in November 2020 received no funding from their local authority, instead surviving on emergency government funding pots, charitable grants, trusts and donations.
There are several charities working to support people experiencing domestic violence that can provide temporary housing, confidential helplines offering emotional and practical support, and advocacy services. Here are a few, to turn to if you need help, wish to volunteer your time or expertise, or are able to donate financially.
Women’s Aid
Women’s Aid has been developing policy and supporting UK women for more than 45 years. The charity can provide temporary housing, offers an online live chat, a forum to speak with other women who have survived domestic abuse, email links to support workers and a survivor’s handbook for help navigating life after experiencing domestic violence.