Every year beginning on 25th November, all over the world, calls to end violence against women and girls are made loud and clear during the 16 Days of Action – a campaign that starts on the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and finishes on 10th December, International Human Rights Day.

Because domestic abuse is a Human Rights issue. Everyone has the right not to be treated in an inhuman and degrading way. Everyone has the right to physical and psychological integrity. Everyone has the right to life.

But, on average 2 women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales. 1 in 4 women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime. The police receive a domestic abuse-related call every 30 seconds.

This all costs. Not just the huge and long lasting emotional cost to survivors and families. But to all of us. A recent report found that in 2022, the economic and social cost of domestic abuse in England was just under £78 billion. The UK Government says it wants to tackle domestic abuse, but right now, the funding is not supporting specialist domestic abuse services that survivors desperately need.

Public services that lack the training and skills to understand the patterns of abusive behaviours mean vital opportunities to intervene are missed again and again. The survivor remains in danger and the enormous costs, human and financial, continue to rise.

Services like Rising Sun that provide a trauma informed, needs led and strength based approach, are a lifeline to survivors. We believe and validate survivors. We put the survivor at the heart and build responses around her needs and strengths.

All our specialist services are available to survivors free of charge, like our counselling service. We've learnt from our survivors that they have felt invisible and misunderstood when they have received generic counselling from statutory services, as they don't understand the dynamics and subtleties of domestic abuse. But our one to one specialist counselling provides what they need.

£20 could help Rising Sun to provide 1 hour of specialist one to one counselling

In order to provide our specialist service, we rely on the generosity of our local community and funders to enable us to continue being there for more than 1,800 survivors every year.

We are so grateful for any donation that you are able to give to Rising Sun to support us to support women and families who need us.