COVID-19 and support
Here you will find blogs and information on support available during the pandemic, updates about our services, changes to the justice system and more.
Abuse at university / college during COVID-19: support for students
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With current COVID-19 measures, student life has drastically changed: most classes and social activities are taking place online and students are spending more time indoors and around the same people. Despite this, students can still experience abuse and violence, whether it is on or off campus, online or in person.
At this time it can feel more challenging than ever to know what to do or where to go after an experience of abuse, but we want to reassure you that support is out there.
In this blog we look at some ways you might experience abuse at university or college during the pandemic, we discuss some legal options (including reporting the incident), and provide information about where to get support.
‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ and migrant women living with abuse
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In the UK, some migrants are subject to a condition called No Recourse to Public Funds or NRPF, which can have far reaching consequences for migrant women, particularly those living with abuse or violence.
In this blog we discuss what NRPF is and who is affected, what constitutes ‘public funds,’ and its effect on women leaving an abusive situation. We also explain some options available and share links to support.
Making a safety plan when you are in an abusive situation
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When you are experiencing any form of abuse —whether it’s stalking, sexual violence, online abuse, domestic abuse, among others— a safety plan can help you improve your safety.
In this blog we introduce you to the basics of safety planning, we describe how it can help, we give some examples of things to consider when creating a safety plan and explain where to get specialist support to make one or to get more information about safety planning.
Exclusion orders: what are they and how can they help if I’m experiencing abuse at home?
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Home is not always a safe place for women experiencing abuse. However, there are legal options that can be requested from the court to protect women and children from the abuse. One option is an exclusion order.
We have published a guide with information on what an exclusion order is, who can apply for one and what the court process is, which you can read here. Below we give a brief introduction to this legal protection.
Someone is stalking me, what can I do?
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We know that lockdown measures can feel particularly isolating if you are experiencing stalking.
When staying at home and/or doing most of your activities online, there are many ways in which stalking can happen and we have written about stalking behaviours and how to identify them here.
In this blog you will find a list of practical steps that might be useful in your situation and ways in which you can get help and support.
The most important thing to remember is that there are organisations you can reach out to during the pandemic if this is your experience.
