Domestic abuse help
We support women with a disabled child across Manchester. Our experienced female staff and volunteers are here for you.
The Purple Star Project
If you are a woman who has been affected by domestic abuse, our Purple Star Project provides non-judgemental support services. We support women in several ways, including:
One to one domestic abuse support
One to one practical and emotional support
Culturally appropriate support
Knowledge of local service help and signposting
Peer support
Health and wellbeing awareness.
Types of Domestic Abuse
We support women who have been subjected to various types of domestic abuse:
Types of Domestic Abuse
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Physical Violence Abuse
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Constant Insults and Intimidation Abuse
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Harassment and Stalking Abuse
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Marital Rape Abuse
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Being under Constant Control Abuse, including Financial Control
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Coercive Control Abuse, including Assault, Threats, Humiliation, Intimidation, or Any Other Abuse That Is Used to Harm, Punish, or Frighten
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Harmful Practices, including Forced Marriage, Honour-Based Violence, and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM – Which Is Illegal in the UK)
Contacting us
If you require our help, you can contact us via telephone, email, or our contact page. You can also send us a private inbox message on Facebook and social media.
We accept referrals from agencies and other organisations. All enquiries will be treated with the strictest confidence and we will aim to contact you within 48 hours.
If you cannot wait and require urgent help contact the police immediately calling 999.
Contacting the Police
If you believe you (or someone you know) is in immediate danger, call the police on 999. For non-urgent police enquiries, call 101.
What is the Silent Solution system?
It is a common misconception that the police will automatically attend if you make a silent 999 call. To ensure the call receives a response, you need to listen and respond to the questions and instructions, including coughing or tapping the handset, or, if you’re calling from a mobile, by pressing 55 once, which is prompted by the automated Silent Solution system.
When a 999 mobile caller is too scared to make a noise or speak, they can inform police they are in a genuine emergency by pressing 55 when prompted.
Around 50 emergency mobile calls a day are transferred to police by a Brisish Telecom operator via the automated Silent Solution system. This enables the police to respond to urgent enquiries, and in extreme situations, this system can potentially save a life.
Confidentiality
When we contact you, we will ask you for some background information. Although our service is confidential, there may be times when we need to share information with other agencies if we think you or any children are in great risk. We will help you. A copy of our confidentiality policy is available on request, by calling or emailing us.
What is Domestic Abuse?
Dimobi Women's Trust works in line with the Manchester Safeguarding Partnership definition of domestic abuse:
“Manchester adopts the Home Office definition of domestic violence and abuse which is any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or trans status. The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to, psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional abuse”
Furthermore, the Women’s Aid website defines domestic abuse as:
“an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer. It is very common. In the vast majority of cases, it is experienced by women and is perpetrated by men.”
Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to, the following:
What Is Domestic Abuse?
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Coercive Control (A Pattern of Intimidation, Degradation, Isolation, and Control with the Use or Threat of Physical or Sexual Violence)
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Psychological and/or Emotional Abuse
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Physical or Sexual Abuse
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Financial or Economic Abuse
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Harassment and Stalking
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Online or Digital Abuse.
Resources
- Women’s Aid – What Is Domestic Abuse?
- Women’s Aid – The Survivors’ Handbook
- Refuge – Recognising Abuse
Local Support
Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0161 636 7525
- Open Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding Bank Holidays.
Manchester Homeless Assessment Team: 0161 234 4692 / 0161 234 4744
- Open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Address – Homeless Section, Town Hall Extension, Mount Street, Albert Square, M2 5DB
Direct Access Hostel for Single Women: 0161 219 6050
- Open after 4:00 p.m.
Emergency Social Services and Housing: 0161 234 5001
- Open after 4:00 p.m. and on weekends
Manchester – No Recourse to Public Funds Team – 0161 226 8131
- Provides advice and support to people with unresolved immigration status who have no access to Home Office support or public funds
- Open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Address – Moss Side District Office, 27 Bold Street, Alexandra Park Estate, M16 7AD
North Manchester Police Domestic Violence Unit, Division A: 0161 856 3097
- Available 7 days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Email: northmanchester.ppiu@gmp.police.uk
End the Fear: Website
- Advice on deciding to leave and moving forward
Women’s Aid Manchester – The Pankhurst Centre
- Advice and children’s play sessions
National Support
Women’s Aid National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
- Open to callers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Free to call
- National information, and support
- Online chat service available
GALOP – National LGBT DA Helpline: 0800 999 5428
- Provides Hate Crime, Domestic Abuse, and Sexual Violence Support services to individuals who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans +
- Free to call
National Stalking Helpline: 0808 802 0300
- Practical information and support for victims of stalking, their friends, family, and professionals working with them
- Advice on risk, safety planning, and legislation
- Free to call
- Operated by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust
Family impact
Domestic abuse affects women and families from all backgrounds, and a person who has experienced or witness domestic abuse from a young age can have mental health anxieties. Children often feel guilty because they think they’ve done something wrong or feel confused as they still love the abusive parent or carer.
Your child needs to express these feelings when they are ready. Children must understand that they can love someone and still dislike their behaviour or feel angry towards them, and this doesn’t make them bad. Let your child know you will keep them safe and encourage communication so they know they can speak to you about anything.
Furthermore, children must be reassured that domestic abuse is not OK, that they don’t deserve it, and that there’s nothing they could have done to stop it. Having a support system of wider friends and family can help.
Likewise, if you are in a domestic abuse situation, you should accept that you are not to blame and seek help and support. This could mean leaving your home, asking the person who is abusing you to leave, or taking legal action, but it is essential to get help for yourself and your family.
According to the national domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid, one in seven (14.2%) of children and young people under the age of 18 will have lived with domestic violence at some point in their childhood. You’re not alone, and in addition to the following information, Women’s Aid has produced a helpful survivor’s handbook on children and domestic abuse, which you can find here.
Gender inequality
Published by Manchester City Council, the Children and Young People Domestic Violence and Abuse Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Report 2015/16 cites the following:
“Women are much more likely than men to be the victims of high risk or severe abuse - 95% of those going through Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences are women (MARAC - multi-agency meetings where statutory and voluntary agency representatives share information about high-risk victims of domestic abuse in order to produce a coordinated action plan to increase victim safety).”
Income inequality
According to a UK Home Office Crime Survey cited in Manchester City Council’s 2015/16 report, women in households with an income of less than £10,000 were 3.5 times more at risk than those in households with an income of over £20,000.
Pregnancy
The 2015/16 report also cites the following:
“30% of domestic abuse starts in pregnancy and it escalates in situations where abuse already exists.
Children and Young People
According to Safelives’ “Getting it right first time” policy report (2015):
- Nationally, 140,000 children live in households where there is high-risk domestic abuse.
- 64% of high and medium risk victims have children (on average 2 each).
- A quarter of children in high-risk households are under 3 years old.
- On average, high-risk abuse has been going on for 2.6 years which means these children are living with abuse for most of their life.
Mental Health
Domestic abuse is the leading cause of depression among UK women, and 1 in 4 women will experience some form of abuse. According to the Mental Health Foundation 2016 report, the effect on survivors’ mental health is profound and obvious:
- Research suggests that women experiencing domestic abuse are more likely to experience a mental health problem, while women with mental health problems are more likely to be domestically abused, with 30-60% of women who have a mental health problem having experienced domestic violence.
- Domestic violence is associated with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance abuse in the general population.
- Exposure to domestic violence has a significant impact on children's mental health. Many studies have found strong links with poorer educational outcomes and higher levels of mental health problems.
In 2016, the UK Office for National Statistics published a report on Intimate Personal Violence and Partner Abuse. It found that:
- 16% of women with a long-term illness or disability had experienced domestic abuse compared to 6.8% of non-disabled women.
- 8% of men with a long-term illness or disability had experienced domestic abuse compared to 3.2% of non-disabled men.
- Victims with a disability were more likely to experience other effects as a result of their abuse, including mental or emotional problems, difficulty in other relationships and attempted suicide.
Health and Wellbeing
We provide a range of opportunities for women whose wellbeing has been adversely affected by traumatic life experiences to improve both their physical and mental health. Our services include:
- Professional and peer-led support
- Wellbeing workshops
- Health drop-in sessions
- Recreational and social activities.
Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minorities
We offer guidance on how to escape domestic violence for Black, Asian, and ethnic minorities, including how to report the abuse, what actions to take, and how to keep safe from abuse. Also covering issues such as “honour”-based violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage. Please see the links below for domestic abuse guidance in available in the following languages:
Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minorities
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English
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Arabic
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Bengali
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Faris
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French
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Gujarati
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Hindi
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Pashto
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Punjabi
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Somali
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Turkish
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Urdu
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Welsh
This leaflet was developed by the UK Home Office in partnership with Southall Black Sisters in London. Please use the following resources: