If you are an abuser \u2014 This Is Not\u00a0An \u00a0Excuse<\/strong><\/a>. Or you can\u00a0face the consequences of\u00a0your\u00a0actions.<\/p>\nDomestic abuse is never acceptable and there is no excuse for it. Sadly, it can happen to anyone and in all types of relationship, regardless of race, ethnic or religious group, class, disability, sexuality, lifestyle, nationality or age.<\/p>\n
Abusive behaviour includes physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse or psychological or emotional abuse. Abuse may be a single incident or an ongoing pattern of behaviours.<\/p>\n
In Avon and Somerset Police, 20 per cent of our work is domestic abuse related.\u00a0Our domestic abuse lead Detective Superintendent Kris Windsor said: \u201cDomestic abuse is\u00a0a\u00a0serious crime which can escalate quickly for\u00a0victims and perpetrators. Many people may be closer to domestic abuse than they think.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask people to please trust their instincts and act.\u00a0If you suspect domestic abuse is happening,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0look away. Report it, anonymously if you wish. It could save a life.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs well as support for victims of domestic abuse, programmes are available nationally for perpetrators willing to take responsibility for aggressive, controlling or violent behaviours. Otherwise, we remind you that domestic abuse is against the law and may result in criminal prosecution and imprisonment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Clare Moody<\/strong>\u00a0said: \u201cNo result, no referee decision, no amount of alcohol creates domestic abuse. It is a choice, and it is a crime.<\/p>\n\u201cThe \u2018spikes\u2019 in domestic abuse we see nationally during tournaments are not stats, they are women living in fear.\u00a0 We should be deeply concerned that they happen at all, and we must not accept this as inevitable. That is why I have been investing in strengthening the response to offenders and support for victims of domestic abuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know this is a pattern, and that means it is preventable.\u00a0 Part of that prevention needs people to step forward \u2013 if you have concerns, if something doesn\u2019t feel right, don\u2019t ignore it, report to the police.\u00a0 Remember, you could be the person that transforms a life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cllr Sean Rhodes, cabinet member for communities and local place and chair of the South Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Strategic Partnership<\/strong>, said: “The increase we see nationally in domestic abuse during major football competitions is not about a team winning or losing, it is about violence and control.<\/p>\n\u201cYou may be reading this because you are experiencing domestic abuse now, or maybe because you have experienced it and you are worried it may happen again soon. Whatever the reason, if you are worried, we are here to listen and support you.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are reading this and you are an abuser, stop now. There is potentially support for you if you choose to make that step.<\/p>\n
\u201cDomestic abuse is not inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n
*Partners standing against domestic abuse and supporting victims include: Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol City Football Club, Bristol Rovers Football Club, Cranstoun\u2019s\u00a0Domestic Abuse Services, Next Link Domestic Abuse Services, North Somerset Council, Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council and Southside Domestic Abuse Services.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For many of us, the World Cup means excitement, celebrations and coming together. However, for people at risk of domestic abuse, it may\u00a0to be a time of misery,\u00a0fear\u00a0and anxiety. Heightened emotions and increased or prolonged drinking or drug-taking are linked to increased domestic abuse nationally during tournaments. However, we want to stress that while football […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[541],"tags":[2694],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26259"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26259"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26260,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26259\/revisions\/26260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.southglos.gov.uk\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}