Chat service launched for victims of domestic abuse

 A domestic abuse charity is launching a confidential web chat service, in the hope of encouraging younger victims to reach out for support.

The initiative from Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA) will provide an online support service from 20 April, running from Mondays to Thursdays.

JWA announced the new service ahead of International Women’s Day, which is marked on Sunday. Chief executive Naomi Dickson said: “Sometimes a woman or girl doesn’t want to talk on the phone, or it isn’t convenient at that moment. We developed our web chat service to respond to this, and also in light of the success of this channel in the wider domestic abuse sector.

“In particular, we want to make sure that younger women and girls feel comfortable contacting us if they’re worried about their situation.

“The 16 to 25 age group is actually the most likely to experience relationship abuse and it’s no different in the Jewish community. We hope that offering live chat will encourage this age group to feel able to contact us for support.”

• Read more – Naomi Dickson: Digital link will be a lifeline for many

The new service will run alongside the well-established telephone helplines for domestic abuse and sexual violence, as well as the recent addition of a support worker specifically for young women and girls, which has been funded by a grant from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

This Sunday more than 40 supporters will host a JWA Coffee Time on International Women’s Day to raise awareness of domestic abuse.