Over 20,000 young people from Hart and Rushmoor districts have now attended and participated in domestic/dating abuse sessions run by the North East Hampshire Domestic Abuse Forum.
The sessions are aimed at helping young people to be more aware of signs of unhealthy relationships and providing them with information to keep themselves safe and access sources of support. Through these sessions, the isolation many young people feel when they are living with domestic abuse is reduced and their physical and emotional safety needs can be met through a multi-agency response.
Young people are also provided with information about how to identify signs that their dating relationships are becoming unhealthy and to seek help and support, whether they are starting to feel frightened or controlled, or whether they are concerned about their own behaviour.
Karen Evans, chair of the North East Hampshire Domestic Abuse Forum, said: “Through the use of drama, in partnership with the Phoenix Theatre Group in Bordon, we are able to give the students a good insight of what a relationship which has become unhealthy ‘look’ like and how relationships can change over time until one person is frightened or fearful of the other person. The drama helps us to demonstrate emotional and psychological abuse where the mother is told she is “ugly, useless and cannot cook,” financial abuse, where the mother has to give up her job, through to physical abuse and the impact on all of the family members.”
“These sessions are really important in terms of being able to reach out to students affected by domestic and dating abuse, who may not previously have disclosed what is happening to anyone else and empower them to access safety planning information and support, as well as forming their own healthy relationships in the future.”
The sessions were delivered through assembly sessions and tutor groups across schools in the Rushmoor and Hart areas.