A groundbreaking initiative is equipping women across Wiltshire with the knowledge and skills to support victims of domestic abuse.
Society Without Abuse (SWA), a charity dedicated to tackling domestic abuse, has partnered with Wiltshire's Women's Institute (WI) to train at least 100 members as Ambassadors.
Through a combination of online and in-person training, these Ambassadors are learning about various forms of abuse, including physical, sexual, economic, coercive control, stalking, and harassment. They are also being taught how to identify victims and connect them with essential services to help them escape and recover from trauma.
Tackling domestic abuse is not new to the WI, which has a long history of advocating for women's causes. In the past, the organisation has campaigned for refuge funding, access to justice, and adequate legal definitions of domestic abuse.
Gill Gibson-Piggott of The Wiltshire Federation of Women's Institutes highlighted the importance of creating a safe space for women: "Because of our history of standing up for women's causes, the WI should be a natural safe space for women.
"Our hope is simply that, by creating SWA Ambassadors in every Wiltshire WI and talking about domestic abuse more openly, victims feel able to seek support sooner. If just one victim reaches out for help via this work, it will have been worthwhile."
Lesley Eacopo, a member of Bromham WI, spoke of the impact of the training: "By bringing this to a WI meeting and saying we have done the Ambassador training, it can start planting the seed of support, and we hope that the seed germinates, and victims of domestic abuse start talking about it.
"It's aspects such as being aware of someone who comes to our meeting and ways they may change, for example, where they were once engaging and then they may stop, that will make us start asking the right questions."
Sandie Lewis of Steeple Ashton WI added: "With what we've learnt, we can help people think about their own friends and family and give them the opportunity to support their friends and daughters."
Kate Rowland, CEO of SWA, explained the significance of this initiative: "Domestic abuse continues to be so prevalent in our communities because it is so hidden. By having a network of Ambassadors throughout the Wiltshire community, we can help ensure that anyone who might be in need of help can be identified and supported, either by us or one of our partner organisations in the county."
"Domestic abuse can affect anyone of any age or background, but people are often wary about asking the difficult questions when they first spot the signs. By being able to equip so many women across Wiltshire with the knowledge and confidence to just ask those questions and be able to tell others where help is available, we will have a long-lasting impact on one day bringing an end to domestic abuse in our society."
For more information on SWA, visit www.societywithoutabuse.org.uk
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