Protection

Key lobbying activity: ‘Listening to Children’ postcard campaign

 

Objective: to ensure the voices of women and children are represented to government following the launch of the Children Bill in Parliament.

 

We involved children and young people in the planning of this campaign with the help of children’s support workers in refuges. Postcards were sent out and statements, drawings and photographs were collected to show how children and young people feel about domestic abuse and what they would like the government to do. These postcards were presented to the government and a public meeting was held in June. The campaign received excellent coverage in the media, including interest from programmes such as Newsnight and a feature in The Sun newspaper.

 

Children ultimately called on the government to stop the violence happening:

“Stop fighting because it doesn’t solve anything.  Violence is horrible, mean and it makes me feel not good.” (age 10) 

 

In their pleas for help, many children specifically asked for the government to help abusive fathers in order to protect children from further harm: 

 

and another pleaded,