New campaign aims to help tackle domestic abuse in Hartlepool

It is being spearheaded by Hartlepool Community Safety Team, which comprises staff from Hartlepool Borough Council, Cleveland Police and Cleveland Fire Brigade, and carried out under the umbrella of the multi agency Safety Hartlepool Partnership.

The local initiative, in partnership with domestic abuse charity Harbour, is part of the UN’s international 16 Days of Activism campaign and will see officials use the power of social media to post daily messages to highlight different aspects of domestic abuse and local support services.

Councillor Shane Moore, leader of Hartlepool Borough Council and Chair of the Safer Hartlepool Partnership, said: “Tackling domestic abuse in its various forms is a top priority for the Partnership, so I would encourage people to support this campaign by liking and sharing the social media posts using the hashtags #16days, #saferhartlepool and #DV.

“One in four women and one in six men will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives, so there is a chance that someone you know could be helped by you sharing the information.”

Daily messages are being posted on the council’s @HpoolCouncil Twitter account and Facebook page from Monday, November 25, which was International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Statistics show that although domestic abuse accounts for 16% of all violent crime, it is the least likely form to be reported to the police.

In Hartlepool, almost a third of women (28%) who reported domestic abuse in 2017 reported more than one incident, with a number reporting between 10 and 21 incidents in 12 months.

The council says domestic abuse is unacceptable and that everyone deserves to live without fear.

The campaign runs until Human Rights Day on Tuesday, December 10.

A wide range of information is available at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/domesticabuse

It includes details of how to get in touch with Harbour, smartphone personal safety apps, how to recognise and report domestic abuse and information on Clare’s Law which allows people to find out if their partner has a history of abuse.