Over the course of our lives, a sobering amount of people will be involved in an incident of
. In the United Kingdom, domestic abuse accounts for as much as 16 percent of all violent crime, with one in four women and one in six men suffering from such a
. It's also a leading course of homelessness in Britain, costing the public around £23 billion a year.
Of course, 2017 has been a promising year for women who are suffering from sexual violence, with the #
campaign helping to expose high profile sexual assaulters like
, Louis CK and
over the past few months. But domestic violence is still a pressing issue today, and one police Twitter account is doing its part to help women in these unenviable position.
You might not have heard of the isle of Skye, which is located off the western coast of Scotland. But the
Lochaber and Skye Police force is making waves on the internet, after their Twitter page sent out an amazing open to an unidentified woman, before extending their open letter to “anyone who may be at risk”.
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This is the first post from @LochabSkyePol, which came out last month, and in a series of tweets addresses some of the issues that can often afflict victims of domestic abuse, including a loss of confidence, social withdrawal, and even in some cases, self blame.
"
We want to help you and are doing lots with other agencies to try to keep you safe. You might not see us, you might not even like us being involved but we are always thinking about how we can help you. Your family and friends have told you they think you are in danger – they support you and want you to be safe. We think he’s probably told you, ‘It won’t happen again’, ‘I’m sorry’, ‘I’ll change’, he’s maybe even told you that it’s your fault – IT’S NOT.
"
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“
The violence, threats, degrading comments and controlling behaviour are not the life you need to lead, it can be better. You are not trapped and you are not alone, we can help you get out, your family and friends can help you get out and Womens Aid can help you get out. Call us, come to the Police station, phone someone, speak to local Womens Aid worker 01478613365 or 0800 027 1234. There is no excuse for domestic abuse. Help is out there. [sic]
”
Lochaber and Skye's police department has drawn immense praise online, with Marsha Scott,
chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, calling the tweets a "great, creative use of social media".
“Lochaber and Skye Police are trying to reach out in a different way which is fascinating and exciting,” she said, and that sentiment was echoed further on Twitter.
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Domestic violence in any shape or form is unacceptable in modern society, and it's important that we do what we can do help anyone we suspect is a victim. To that end, Lochaber and Skye Police are doing all they can to help out.
