Sandown Town Councillor Emily Brothers has urged the Isle of Wight Council to revisit funding cuts to domestic abuse services, just over a week after WightDASH, a charity that served the Island for some 32 years, announced they would close this September.
During Public Questions at Wednesday night’s Isle of Wight Full Council meeting, Emily Brothers, who is a Sandown resident and Labour Party campaigner, was perplexed by the authority’s lack of consideration on equality when it makes key decisions.
As first reported by Island Echo, it was announced on 13th July that WighDASH, a domestic abuse support charity for women, is to close this Autumn after more than 30 years.
WightDASH Chief Executive, Fiona Gwinnett said board members made the difficult decision after struggles to secure funding continued – as they had throughout the charity’s 30-plus year existence.
Speaking at an Isle of Wight Council meeting on Wednesday evening, Brothers, said:
“The decision by Isle of Wight Council to cut the funding of domestic abuse services, including the Women’s Refuge, has resulted in the closure of the much respected Wight DASH which has been announced in the last week.
“Latest available figures for the Isle of Wight show more than 1,900 incidents were flagged between April 2020 and March 2021. It often takes sustained abuse and control before women come forward for support. ON average a victim would endure roughly 50 incidents before they reported it to the police, Council or specialist support service.
“Incidents of domestic abuse are likely to increase once current interventions are closed. This is hugely worrying for women and children who are disproportionately negatively impacted by the cuts made by Isle of Wight Council. In the long term more domestic support services will need to be re-launched to meet demand. Instead of allowing the lack of provision to spike even greater problem ahead, it would be more cost effective and safer for women and children if domestic abuse services were maintained.”
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Anyone who feels as if they need to use the services of WightDASH should call the helpline number: 01983 825981. All services will stop on Saturday 30th September.
is this admitting biological differences in terms of strength between men and women?
But trans women can compete and dominate women’s sports??
apparently everyone is equal, until a woman gets punched in the face by some bloke and the reality hits home.
trans women – the reality is they are men, who think they are female, despite not being born female and as such have no real understanding or point of reference as to what it means to be female, apart from the physical representation presented to them by biological women everyday. They then try to copy the image of a woman in their reflection in the mirror, by being mutilated in a hospital, taking drugs to alter their appearance and then put on make up. Reality – they are still male under the skin, whether they like it or not.
an analogy is…putting the body parts of a tesla car on a bmw, doesn’t make it a tesla.
A refuge is being defunded, and your focus is on Trans people?
Lol. They literally live rent-free in your head! Your fixation is curious. Is there more to this than you care to share?
#inthecloset
If this is not sorted and funded then there will be an increase in domestic violence,this will inevitably cost this council and me as a tax payer much more, when families in this situation are not supported you end up with victims, children needing protection and foster care- as previously we heard that costs £100,000s a year per child,plus people out of work, often evicted,mental health and worse cases death + huge costs to police/courts etc. Councillors are short sited and again have no regard or care for our community.
In fact victims should take council to Court.
I pay tax for services – not for councilors expenses
Shame on you Isle of Wight Council.
I feel the same about school closures. They will disrupt people’s lives and over time they will need to open new schools.
Through personal experience I know that the Domestic Abuse Services are abused by both the public and the police services on the island, and as such many resources, much time and funds, are unnecessarily wasted !!
I’m really going to miss going to the WoW Centre – it’s helped me when things have been really tough. Not sure what I’m going to do now it’s going to be hard not being able to go now.
IOW Council doing exactly what they want again. Do they not understand how important this service is. Disgusting how they close such a vital lifeline that has been running and supporting women for 30 years. Domestic abuse will not stop. They will have this on their conscience.
Why are the council doing this? First they shut down schools now they are taking away something that the public need in their lives. All their doing is thinking about themselves not about the island residents who will women turn to for a face to face session? Over the phone help advice? Their won’t be anyone because the council have decided OH, We Don’t Need You Anymore!!!!!!!!! THINK ABOUT THE WOMEN OUT THERE WHO NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!