Lighthouse Women’s Aid

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, it happens in a space that should be a safe haven, their home and perpetrated by someone who says they love them.

Domestic abuse has no boundaries, it has no regard for your gender, sexuality, wealth, educational level, status, race, religion, age, geography or disability. As one in four women and one in six men will be affected in their lifetimes, statistically, the chances are that we all know someone who has or is affected by it.

A significant element of an abusive relationship is the coercion and control perpetrated by the abuser. This is an act or pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation that is used to harm, punish or frighten their victim. The effect is to shrink the victim’s world which normalises the abuser’s behaviour and restricts access to help and support for the victim. Some examples may include:

• Taking control over aspects of a person’s everyday life e.g. where they go, who they see, what they wear, what they eat and when they can sleep
• Isolating them from family and friends
• Controlling how much money they have and how they spend it
• And many more behaviours on a spectrum of control
The motivation behind coercively controlling behaviour is power and control over the individual and this also helps us understand why it is so extremely difficult to leave an abusive relationship and sometimes the person who is being controlled does not even realise that they are experiencing abuse.

Lighthouse Women’s Aid has been based in Ipswich since 1976, providing safe emergency accommodation in our refuge for women and their children needing to flee a domestic relationship.

Our Women’s Centre opened in 2012 and receives around 1,000 calls a year from women across Suffolk, seeking advice and support. The Women’s Centre not only provides advice, support but also a range of therapeutic programmes for women, children and young people to help them recover from the traumatic effects of living with abuse.

We also provide The Impact of Domestic Abuse in the Workplace training to businesses and other agencies in and around Ipswich. Raising awareness of domestic abuse is one of our missions, so that victims and survivors know that they are not alone and there is support available to them. Therefore, it is vital that the services Lighthouse provides continue to be there for those that need it, not just now but for many years to come.

If you are or have been affected by domestic abuse, support is available, please contact the services below.

• Lighthouse Advice Line: 01473 228270 – or self refer via our website. www.lighthousewa.org.uk
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 – available 24/7
• Mankind – Men’s Helpline – 01823 334244 www.mankind.org.uk
• Gallop – LGBTQ+ Helpline: 0300 999 5428

If you are in immediate danger call 999

Submitted by

Deb Johnson
Business & Fundraising Manager
Lighthouse Women’s Aid

Who wrote this about Ipswich?

Sam Sherman

Sam is a Co-Founder of Ipswich.love. Passionate about Ipswich, Sam looks to see how we might jointly reverse some of the recent negativity and bring some deserved positivity back to our beloved Town.