Refuge sees online traffic to its National Domestic Abuse Helpline website rise by 700%.

Following a media push to ensure women experiencing domestic abuse know how they can access help and support during periods of lockdown, Sandra Horley CBE, Chief Executive of national domestic abuse charity Refuge said:

“We have today reviewed the statistics for the National Domestic Abuse Helpline website, run by Refuge.

Traffic to this website, designed by survivors for survivors and which contains valuable information for women on how they can access life-saving support rose by 700% on Monday compared with the previous day.

In fact the website visits on Monday alone were greater than the combined number for the previous five days.

The website, a critical function of Refuge’s Helpline also contains a webform in which survivors can request a safe time to be contacted.

What this shows us is, as we anticipated, women under lockdown who are experiencing domestic abuse are finding the window in which to call us – already ordinarily very limited – has further reduced, and are seeking support online.

Whilst we have also seen calls and contacts to our National Domestic Abuse Helpline sharply rise, the spike in visits to ‪‪nationaldahelpline.org.uk have been phenomenal and shows us that women are turning to Refuge’s digital tools and resources as a way to get in contact with us and access critical information.

We hope that around the country women will be reassured to know that even during these unprecedented times, Refuge is there for them.

With one in three women across England and Wales between 16-59 experiencing domestic abuse at some point in there lives, it’s never been more important to know the National Domestic Abuse Helpline details – ‪0808 2000 247 / ‪http://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/.

Please share these details as widely as you can. Women’s lives depend on it.”

Spokespeople available on request. Please contact the press office on 0207 395 7731 or email press@refuge.org.uk.