Friday 8th March 2024 is International Women’s Day (IWD). 

IWD is a day that celebrates the social, economic cultural and political achievements of women whilst also calling for women's equality.  As a women's led charity, we strive for a world without domestic abuse and deliver a range of services for women, children and men affected by domestic abuse across Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton. 

It is estimated that 1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse and the police recorded 889,918 domestic abuse-related crimes in England and Wales for the year ending March 2023 (Source: ONS Domestic Abuse in England and Wales overview November 2023).   

In Hampshire, more than 52,000 people were subjected to domestic abuse last year. Between April 2023 and March 2024 Stop Domestic Abuse received over 11,300 referrals for our specialist domestic abuse services for victims, which include providing a safe place to stay, delivering one-to-one support in the community, offering specialist support for children and young people, running group recovery programmes and helping to make the home a safe place. 

Our CEO, Claire Lambon says:  

“On International Women’s Day, we reflect on how we empower women through our services at Stop Domestic Abuse.  

Whilst both men and women may experience incidents of inter-personal violence and abuse, women are considerably more likely to experience repeated and severe forms of abuse, including sexual violence. We continue to challenge cultural stereotypes which still assume that the perpetrators of domestic violence are men and the victims are women. However, at the same time, we must recognise that the majority of perpetrators are men. We still live in a patriarchal society where men have more power, more sense of entitlement, and (on average) more income than women.  To ignore the impact of gender on domestic violence does a disservice to people of any gender.  

 Our message is clear. We stand for a world without domestic abuse and most importantly we encourage conversation and will continue to campaign and support partners to voice the messages of these campaigns.” 

On International Women’s Day, our colleagues have been attending events across Hampshire to raise awareness with the public and with professionals who work with victims of domestic abuse. Women staying in our refuges have expressed themselves through a range of therapeutic art activities on the theme of inclusion, equity and equality for women.  

Women living with domestic abuse very often find themselves isolated and unable to access the information, advice and support they need for themselves and their children. They find it difficult to build trust and often lose contact with their support network. Education, employment, friendship groups and even family ties can all be cut off when a victim becomes isolated by their abuser.  

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see how the charity helped Kelly* and her children to reconnect with other people and with the services they needed after taking the brave decision to leave their home to stay in a refuge run by Stop Domestic Abuse. 

*names have been changed for anonymity 

To support us and the #InspireInclusion campaign, tell the charity what inclusion means to you, post photos of you embracing women who are important to you - your mum, your daughter, your friends or colleagues, tag @southerndas on social media and use #InspireInclusion.  

If you want to organise your own fundraising event, are running the Great South Run or doing a sponsored sky dive and would like to have Stop Domestic Abuse as your nominated charity, contact the team at changemaker@stopdomesticabuse.uk. 

If you live in Hampshire, Portsmouth or Southampton and are experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the Domestic Abuse Advice Line on 0330 0533 630 or email advice@stopdomesticabuse.uk for confidential advice and support.