Lockdown messaging on domestic violence came ‘too late’, Covid inquiry told

• Trigger warning: Contains references to domestic abuse

A leading domestic violence charity told the Covid inquiry the government wasn't clear enough about lockdown exemptions for victims of abuse, leaving women unaware they could seek refuge.

Rebecca Goshawk, head of public affairs at Solace Women’s Aid, said her organisation and others in the sector felt “real concern” that “no announcement of a lockdown had mentioned domestic abuse until January 2021”.

There was an exemption included from the first lockdown that enabled women and children suffering domestic abuse to access help. But Goshawk said this was “hidden in guidance and regulations” and as a result many victims didn't know about it.

“We were getting women saying they didn’t know they could leave when they called us, and we actually had that across all three lockdowns…we felt that that messaging was too late. It could have been preempted,” she said, adding. “This was a message that needed to be there from the beginning.”

Goshawk also criticised the government for failing to think about domestic violence victims as part of its pandemic planning, saying Solace was “not aware of domestic abuse and wider violence against women and girls being considered in the emergency preparedness [planning].”

She spoke about the dramatic rise in calls to the Solace helpline when lockdown was first being discussed, and said March 2020 saw a 117% increase on the previous year.

Once the lockdown started there was a slight drop off in calls, which Goshawk called “eerie” and attributed to the fact women weren’t able to get away from abusers for long enough to be able to place a phone call.

By April 2020, within weeks of the first lockdown being announced, all 23 of Solace’s refuges were full. Goshawk said the sector was “woefully underfunded” in the lead up to the pandemic and this directly led to survivors being turned away from services throughout 2020. By December of that year, Solace was turning away approximately 40% of refuge referrals.

She was asked by Joanne Cecil, counsel to the inquiry, why survivors were not turning to police for help when they were unable to access other help.

She responded: “Many women have experience of being let down by the police or disbelieved by the police. It’s not a universal experience but many women have had their experience of abuse belittled or undermined or not really believed and that's particularly relevant for Black and minoritised women.”

The inquiry continues.

Helpline 1