Women's Aid are experiencing a rise in cost of living related calls in the lead-up to Christmas.
The national helpline explained that they have heard of ex-partners that use Christmas as a way to control and abuse women and their children by withholding maintenance, not honouring access arrangements and using presents for the children as a coercive bargaining tool. The organisation’s 24hr National Freephone Helpline will be open all day, every day during Christmas including the 25th and 31st of December. They are expecting to see a 17% rise in calls over the Christmas period.
CEO Sarah Benson said: "December and Christmas is a tough time for women and often the abuse they are suffering is more frequent and more severe with women disclosing that they have been assaulted, hospitalised, being degraded and called the most horrible names.
"Just because it is the festive season, it doesn’t mean that physical, emotional, sexual and economic abuse goes away. Women tell us that their ex-partners are threatening to withhold finances and presents for the children unless she does what he wants. Women are being manipulated and controlled by their partners.”
Ms Benson said the helpline doesn't expect a lot of calls on Christmas Day itself, as many women will work very hard to try to ‘keep the peace’ for their children. However, calls are expected to spike in the days after December 25th.
“Many women will work very hard to manage the situation and to bring some semblance of normality for their children this Christmas," she said. "It is often in the aftermath of 25th December that we receive more calls from women who are living in fear of assault, or who are taking steps to leave the relationship and can suddenly find themselves and their children homeless and without any means or supports.
"We usually we would see a bit of an increase in volume of calls when the kids go back to school as women might seize the chance to reach out. This still may not feel safe, however, because partners can still be present and monitoring women’s movements and actions.
"We get a number of calls on a regular basis where a woman is talking and suddenly, mid-sentence the line goes or she might just say I can hear a key in the door. That happens all-year round."
Ms Benson said Women's Aid have been receiving more calls about economic abuse since the cost of living crisis began. "“The cost of living crisis is exacerbating already difficult and abusive situations," she said.
"Economic abuse has been coming up more recently and I suspect it will continue. Things like there also may have been restrictions on the use of power in the house, with the heating and so on – women mightn’t be allowed to put the heating on.
"So some women and their children will probably be spending Christmas in the cold. Women who have separated from abusive partners are also feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis as their partner may be withholding child maintenance in order to exercise a continued level of control despite the relationship ending.”
Ms Benson emphasised that their service is open throughout Christmas and urged women to give them a call and seek support. "We are here for every woman who needs to talk about anything that is making them anxious, worried and fearful about their partner or ex. Every call is important so please just pick up the phone.”
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