October 2024 marks the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  Domestic abuse has far reaching consequences, affecting not only the survivors but also children who may witness or grow up in an environment where abuse is prevalent.   

Former Poet Laureate Ian Henery was commissioned by Arts Council England to run a series of poetry workshops to empower survivors of gender based violence at Gatis Community Space in Wolverhampton.

"Join us for a night to be remembered", said Ian Henery, "for an inspiring event featuring local artists and survivors sharing powerful stories to raise awareness about gender based violence".

The event will be held on 3rd November at 6pm at The Clarendon Hotel, 38 Chapel Ash,  Wolverhampton WV3 OTN and will also feature the launch of 4 new books by participants of the poetry workshops.  

The goal of Domestic Violence Awareness  Month is to raise awareness and educate the public about the various forms of domestic abuse and their impact.  In Wolverhampton the  Arts Council England funded project called the 1in3 Project (It`s Our Right) is preparing to hold a 3 day exhibition next month in the Mander Centre plus the  4 book launches from survivors of domestic abuse at the Clarendon Hotel.  The aims of the 1in3 Project (It`s Our Right) are working toward realising women`s empowerment and gender equality including protecting the rights and improving the lives of women, girls and the LGBTQIA  Community.  

Project Manager Diyodi Devinda Menon said "We are called 1in3 because 1 in 3 women will experience gender based violence in their lifetime.  This equates to around 736 million who are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner.  We are very grateful to Ian Henery for all of his hard work."   

In the UK over 2 million women are estimated to be victims of male violence each year, an epidemic that the government and police chiefs have branded a "national emergency".  According to figures published by the National Police Chiefs` Council in July, at least one in 12 women in England and Wales  will be a victim of crimes including stalking, harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence each year.     However - this may be an underestimate because even the report states "We know much crime goes unreported and in policing we often only see the tip of the iceberg".  

Nicole Jacobs, appointed in 2019 as the first Domestic Abuse Commissioner, has said that domestic abuse incidents account for 1 in 3 violent crimes recorded by police and a fifth of annual murders while 30% of people on probation are current or previous perpetrators of domestic abuse.   One woman is killed by an abusive partner or ex every 5 days in England and Wales according to the  charity Refuge.  The police receive a domestic abuse-related call every 30 seconds.