Domestic Abuse Campaign aimed at British Indian Women

A campaign to prevent domestic abuse against British Indian women has been launched in the UK.

It has been created to send out the message ‘you are not alone’ to survivors and challenge perceptions of abuse.

The initiative is specifically targeted towards British Indian women in Leicestershire and the surrounding areas.

It is the result of research undertaken by a partnership between Leicester City Council and local charities, United Against Violence and Abuse (UAVA), and Zinthiya Trust.

This revealed that despite 28% of the city’s population being British Indian, only 21% of those who provided their ethnicity when contacting UAVA are British Indian.

The drive hopes to tackle underreporting by connecting with women who may not be able to speak or read and write English and who may be isolated or may not recognise themselves as domestic abuse survivors.

It is based on the experiences of women who have previously been supported by UAVA in the past in ways which many may not even consider to be abuse.

This could include having a passport withheld, having internet use withheld, having food either limited or controlled or having finances limited or controlled.

Founder of Zinthiya Trust, Zinthiya Ganeshpanchan, said:

“Some women don’t know they’re victims of abuse because their husbands’ and in-laws’ behaviours are common in many families.

“The figures on how many British Asian Indian women are victims of abuse are unreliable because I know first-hand that so many of them don’t – or can’t – come forward.

“While we recognise that more women from this community need to come forward, abuse can happen to anyone no matter their ethnicity, age, or gender.”

The campaign has seen snippets of conversations from real cases aired on local community and Asian radio stations in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati.

Posters have also been placed around the city.

Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Batchelor, the lead for Domestic Abuse at Leicestershire Police said:

“I really welcome this new campaign because we know that domestic abuse is underreported.

“We want all victims to have the confidence to report abuse and know they can safely get the help and advice they need.

“Please don’t suffer in silence, there are lots of people from different organisations who can help.”

Suki Kaur, Chief Executive of Freeva, which operates the domestic and sexual violence helpline for UAVA, said:

“We talk to men and women every day and we know how hard it can be.

“What I can say is that you can live free from abuse and recover and heal; creating the life you may not think right now is possible.”

Assistant City Mayor, Councillor Sarah Russell added:

“It’s vital that anyone experiencing domestic abuse, men and women, know that help is available to them and how to get it.

“UAVA can be contacted on 0808 80 200 28, and I urge people to get in touch with them and make that vital first step to taking control.

“This campaign is specifically aimed at a group of women where we know abuse is underreported and we want to do everything we can to make them aware that what they are experiencing is not acceptable and they are not alone.”

The next stage of the initiative will see resources developed for use at schools, GP surgeries, English language classes and other communal areas.

Mobile hair and beauty professionals and religious community support providers will also be trained to help spot signs of abuse and what to do if someone reaches out to them.