Many people, women and men, won’t have heard of Clare’s Law or understand what it means for the prevention of domestic abuse. It’s a scheme where you can contact the police if you are concerned that your partner or the partner of someone you know may pose a risk to them. If there is a history of abuse, the police may consider sharing this information with the person at risk (it’s not guaranteed, so is not open to malicious enquiries).
If you’d like to find out more about Clare’s Law (Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme) please look at the Met Police’s website.
I’ve been inspired by Part Time Working Mummy today so I am sharing her Facebook post about this issue:
“I don’t know how I’d cope if in seven years time I received a phone call to say Betsy was in hospital after being beaten badly by her boyfriend…
I don’t know what I’d do if I found out that she’d spent six hours enduring an attack by someone who was supposed to love her that she asked him to let her write me a Goodbye letter before he murdered her.
I don’t know how I’d cope if I heard she had been hit with a plank of wood, punched, strangled, suffocated and repeatedly spat on whilst being told she was about to be murdered.
I don’t know how I’d be if I knew she had to watch her boyfriend chewing on a wine glass whilst shouting he was indestructible….
And I don’t know what I’d do if when I got to that hospital I was greeted by Nurses and Police officers who had been reduced to tears by her injuries; injuries that left her entire body covered in lacerations and turned her black with bruising – some bruises in the shape of ‘his’ trainer print, a heamorage in her left eye from lack of oxygen, two black eyes, bloodied nose & lips, defence cuts on her hand where she had grabbed hold of the knife she was being threatened with….
Today I spoke to a beautiful twenty two year old girl called Kirby. She was visiting London – a city she’s never been to before and she told me she had never seen sites like it..
….but she wasn’t there for a city break, she was there to raise awareness for ‘Clare’s law’. A scheme that if she had been aware of she wouldn’t have endured that horrific attack last year I’ve described above.
When she first met her boyfriend her mum told her she disliked him, but she ignored her and she continued to date him, until the day the incident happened.
Last week Kirbys ex-boyfriend was sent to prison for what he did to her, his sentence being reduced to 21 months for his last minute plea bargain.
Clare’s law….
…..something I believe there isn’t enough awareness of, because if there was Kirby’s mum would have known about it and she could have made an application when she wasn’t sure about her boyfriend – and in turn Kirby would have been informed by the Police that he had a history of violence against women.
‘Clare’s Law’ is a scheme which allows people to make an application to see if their partner (or someone you have concerns about partner) may have been abusive in the past. ‘Clare’s Law’ was introduced after the horrific killing of 36-year-old mother Clare Wood by a man with a history of violence against women, including repeated harassment, threats and the kidnapping at knifepoint of one of his other ex-girlfriends. If you have concerns your partner may have been abusive in the past or if you have concerns that your friend, neighbour, sister, parent or child maybe in a relationship with an abuser you can make an application.
To do this you can call 101, stop a Police officer in the street or visit a Police station.
Kirby is now committed to making a change for other girls her age.
She wants to raise awareness because if she knew this law existed she would never have gone through what she has.
This morning she sat on the sofa of Good Morning Britain (watch her interview here http://www.itv.com/…/clares-law-domestic-abuse-kirby-weegram) and tomorrow she will be on BBC Radio Tees between 7-8.15am.
Kirby wants to set up a website, continue to raise awareness and help others to stop them going through what she did – if you’d like to support her achieve any of this please contact her here: Kirby.weegram@hotmail.co.uk
Kirby has also asked me to pass on a personal thank you to Danielle, the Area Manager for Harbour Domestic abuse services for going above and beyond with the support her and her team have offered her.
Please give their website a like & share & if you can donate a few pounds to thank them for the incredible work they do with out warriors you can do so here – http://www.myharbour.org.uk/donate
Please share, let’s make people aware of #ClaresLaw
Let’s reduce the risk of perpetrators ruining the lives of their victims time & time again.
Thank you Kirby for sharing your story with me. Listening you today fuelled me with more fire to continue with this fight….to end Domestic Abuse. I wish you all the luck in the world & send lots of love to you”
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