International Women’s Day: increased mental health support for survivors is essential

The pandemic has not been easy on survivors of domestic abuse, sexual abuse or assault. Many more women and girls have been flocking to specialist services such as Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis and Survivors Trust since the start of the pandemic in 2020 than ever before. How can we prioritise the unique difficulties these women are facing and prevent a mental health pandemic?

Written by Bryony Porteous-Sebouhian

Survivors of domestic and sexual abuse desperately need specialist support

A 2020 report [1] from Women’s Aid found that over half of respondents had experiences a deterioration in their mental health during lockdowns. While Rape Crisis England and Wales found that the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had “adversely” impacted the mental health of victims and survivors, their report [2] ‘Holding it Together’ cited ‘lockdown isolation, pandemic-related bereavement, job insecurity and daily pressures’ as being the biggest contributing factors to their respondents.

Rape Crisis Centres also recorded a 41% increase in demand for their specialist support services such as counselling, since the year 2019/20.

The government, however have repeatedly failed to address this issue sufficiently and with the necessary increase in mental health provision for survivors

In August 2021 Andrea Simon, Director of End Violence Against Women (EVAW) responded to the ‘Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy’ by the government, she said:

“Measures which reach across policing, health, education, and transport are important to ensure tackling VAWG becomes everyone’s business. However, to make this a strategy that delivers change there must be accountability and the right level of funding that follows all aspects of the work: There is a distinct lack of resourcing here that cannot be ignored.”

Now, Women’s Aid have again shone a light on the desperate need for this resourcing

The domestic abuse charity hosted an International Women’s Day event at Parliament to raise awareness on the long-lasting impact that domestic abuse can have on the mental health of survivors and their children.

Women’s Aid brought together key decision-makers and campaigners for this event at Westminster. The charity hopes to highlight the huge barriers that women are facing to access services, across all specialist services for women survivors. This included waiting times, communication barriers, victim-blaming attitudes and a lack of trauma informed responses and services.

A patron of Women’s Aid, Melanie Brown who is best known for being a member of the Spice Girls, was joined by fitness and wellness personality, Alice Living who is also a Women’s Aid ambassador. The two who have both experienced abuse and consider themselves to be survivors, spoke with key politicians urging for better immediate mental health support for survivors.

Melanie Brown MBE, said in Parliament: “My personal experience of coercive control was traumatising and it has impacted my mental health, including long-term post-abuse trauma, which I live with every day.”

“I am so proud to be a patron for Women’s Aid and campaign together, to make a real difference for survivors. It was an honour to stand alongside others in Parliament this International Women’s Day, to celebrate the resilience of survivors of domestic abuse and make sure all women get the support that they need to heal.”

Chief executive of Women’s Aid Farah Nazeer also spoke saying, “We are delighted to have been joined by strong and inspirational survivors to commemorate International Women’s Day 2022.”

“After what has been an incredibly difficult year for women - with the devastating murders of Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, alongside countless others – it is promising to see many key decision-makers engaging with the Deserve To Be Heard campaign.”

Nazeer finished saying positively, “We look forward to working closely with the government going forward, to ensure that violence against women and girls is a key public health priority. This is especially pressing, with the impending publication of the Women’s Health Strategy.”

The Women’s Health Strategy Farah Nazeer mentioned is a key opportunity for the government to right the wrongs it has committed in previous failed attempts that simply did not go far enough, as Andrea Simon of EVAW stated.

Reference list:

1. 'A Perfect Storm'
2. 'Holding It Together'

If you need support in relation to domestic abuse, you can chat to Women's Aid here. If you need support in relation to rape, or sexual assault call Rape Crisis for FREE on 0808 802 9999.