With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Plymouth City Council is reminding anyone who is in an abusive relationship that help is available.
Valentine’s Day can be about celebrating the love and affection. However, this will sadly not be the case for everyone in Plymouth.
Plymouth City Council is reminding anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence to reach out for support.
Councillor Rebecca Smith, Chair of the Plymouth Violence Against Women and Girls Commission, said: “Valentine's Day can be special for some people but unfortunately for others this is not always the case.
“If you’re in an abusive relationship, Valentine’s Day can be more challenging than normal, as people may be pressurised to behave in a certain way and do things they might not want to. Outside of relationships some people may receive unwanted attention and feel harassed.
“Abuse and harassment can happen to anyone, regardless of sex, age, or gender. If you are affected – please reach out.”
Find out where you can get support
Domestic abuse is when a family member or someone you're in an intimate partner relationship with treats you in a way that harms you physically, emotionally or sexually. It can include:
- Physical violence such as hitting, kicking, pushing or choking
- Emotional abuse and controlling behaviour such as stopping you seeing family or friends, being jealous or possessive, threatening, putting you down, bullying or blackmailing
- Sexual violence such as forcing you to do something you don't want to do, pressuring you to have sex, or making you watch pornography
- Financial abuse such as not letting you work or taking your money.
- Domestic abuse happens in all communities to people from all backgrounds and anyone can be a victim.
The deadline is also approaching for the Plymouth Violence Against Women and Girls Commission survey, which is inviting local people to share their views and experiences. The results of the survey will be shared with the Commission as part of their work to understand the scope of the problem in Plymouth and consider what more can be done to tackle the issue. The survey closes on Tuesday 15 February. Have your say