BYL Annual Report 2023-24 V 1.6-Final - Flipbook - Page 35
Page: 35
We meet at a community centre and the sessions weren9t speci昀椀cally adver}sed as
domes}c abuse support groups or places for women to speak on speci昀椀c issues.
Because of that, I felt comfortable walking in there and bringing my child to play
nearby. When you walk in somewhere that provides speci昀椀c support for domes}c
abuse it can be overwhelming because everyone knows why you9re there and there
can be a sense of shame. I work on the other side of it, I9ve seen women badly
a昀昀ected and I think of all the women who need support more than me. Actually,
what makes me feel comfortable is this secluded environment where we can talk
about what9s happening to us honestly and freely without a label or feeling shame.
That9s why groups like this are so needed in the South Asian community, among
South Asian women, because discussing issues like domes}c violence/ abuse is
completely taboo. It happens, as it does to all women, and yet women in our
community don9t discuss it, it9s something that we do not talk about. The fact this
group was held right in the heart of the community and was adver}sed as a co昀昀ee
morning rather than something more speci昀椀c made it more accessible.
Some women that come, their husbands drop them o昀昀, and obviously you don9t
want your partner knowing what we are discussing. It9s promoted as a space for
children, which it is, but it9s also a safe space for us to discuss our experiences,
whether that9s domes}c violence, abuse, anything else, and to provide support to
one another.
One women who I9m s}ll in touch with actually got referred through this group for
specialist support and she9s now out of the abusive rela}onship she was in. It9s
amazing, she9s set up in a new place, she9s got independence and all the things she
needs for her and her child. The support we get from the group is incredible.
