A range of high-profile women have changed their Twitter names today to the number of the National Domestic Abuse helpline: 0808 2000 247.
Little Mix, Lorraine Kelly, Home Secretary Priti Patel, actress Lolly Adefope and comedian Miranda Hart are among the women who are supporting the #SafetyInANumber campaign on International Women's Day.
Refuge, a charity which provides specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic violence, has launched the campaign to make sure every woman knows the number of the free 24-hour helpline by heart.
1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse in England & Wales. So for #IWD2020 we’ve partnered with @RefugeCharity to help highlight the National Domestic Abuse Helpline number. It’s a number every woman should know, so please save it now. #SafetyInANumber
— 0808 2000 247 (@LittleMix) March 8, 2020
As part of the campaign, the number will be shown at midday on the largest advertising display in Europe at London's Piccadilly Circus. Adverts featuring Olivia Colman will air on various Sky channels throughout the day as well.
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Sandra Horley, CBE, chief executive of Refuge, said the campaign reflects the fact that "0808 2000 247 is a number that every woman should know".
Today for #IWD leading British women have partnered with us to donate their Twitter names to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline to give it fame. It’s a number every woman should know, so please share it now. #SafetyInANumber pic.twitter.com/yQQBSCgaXQ
— Refuge (@RefugeCharity) March 8, 2020
“Refuge’s Freephone 24 hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is at the heart of how this country responds to domestic abuse – it is a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of women across the country," Horley added.
"A shocking two women are killed every week in England and Wales alone, leaving children without mother, parents without daughters, families without loved ones."
According the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 1.6 million women in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse between March 2018 and March 2019.
The police recorded 746,219 domestic abuse-related crimes in this 12-month period: an increase of 24% from the previous year.
Earlier this year, a group have women who have fled domestic violence shared their stories with Refinery29. "I can now sleep like a normal human being – no one is coming to harass me again," said Sandra, 40, from south London.
"The next step is going back to work and school. I want to study nursing and live outside London, where it’s quieter and less expensive, and I’m going to file for divorce. I don’t want my husband to think I’m coming back to him."
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247.