A Manchester charity is working towards a safer community bringing hope and support to those facing or fleeing domestic violence.
Statistics from 2022 show more than 2.4 million people experienced domestic abuse.
The River Manchester provides a safe space for people to share their lives and stories, as well as helping them make a fresh start, and last year alone the charity helped 80 families move to safety.
It also supported an estimated 2,000 people with food and clothing packages as well as training placements.
They said: “Our primary aim is to bring hope and support to those facing or fleeing Domestic Violence and to empower them to create a better life for themselves. We provide a safe space for people to share their lives and stories within a work-structured environment.”
Approximately one in five adults aged 16 years and over have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16 years.
The charity’s founder Lydia Chan worked in the charity sector for over twelve years, with a focus on poverty and homelessness, and when she was approached by a woman who was struggling to cope after fleeing domestic abuse with her ten-year-old son, Lydia felt she had to help and set about arranging food parcels, furniture, and a team of volunteers to help make their new accommodation feel like home.
Charities like The River can play a vital role in people’s lives, which was especially prevalent during COVID times when support was hard to access.
The overall number of domestic homicides in the 12 months 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 was 163, slightly higher than the previous year which was 152.
The River Manchester said it definitely noticed an increase in the need for support during the lockdown period.
There were additionally 38 suspected suicides of victims of domestic abuse reported to the VKPP project (Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme) in the 12 months 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.
The report said: “Each one of these deaths is a tragedy for family and friends, and each one is a death too many.”
The project found Covid acted as an escalator and intensifier of existing abuse in individual cases.
While Covid has not ‘caused’ domestic homicide, it seems to have been weaponised by some abusers as both a new tool of control over victims and – in some cases – as an excuse for domestic abuse and even homicide.
The River provide a removals service to help transport furniture and essential items to a new, safe location, but these locations are in need of repairs so to help families make their space feel like home The River offers a painting service which is run using teams of volunteers and costs the recipient just £20 which covers materials and travel expenses.
People can contact the charity on 0161-3715522 or get in touch with Donna at [email protected].
