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More than 40,000 women and girls go disappear every year because Violence in a “hidden crisis” must now be tackled, a leading Donation has warned.
missing people Said women and girls are They are at extreme risk of harm if they go missing, with an estimated 27,000 people being victims of sexual assault, harassment or exploitation.
Preachers also warn about this Government’s strategy to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade As the plan to deal with this “national emergency” finally comes out this week, it doesn’t go far enough. The charities wrote to Security Minister Jess Phillips earlier this year calling for the “strong relationship” between VAWG and missing people to be recognized in the strategy “as a means of preventing further harm”.
As Missing People issues urgent warning, women open up about what they faced abuse which caused their disappearanceSaying that they are pushed to the point where it seems like the only option is “either attack their abuser and end up in jail, stay and suffer and maybe die, or they can go missing”.
One woman, who remains anonymous for security reasons, said her ex-husband was so forcefully controlling that he dictated what she would eat, drink and wear, how she would style her hair and make a cup of tea, and once even prevented her from getting medical treatment when she was unwell.
“I was devastated by who I was to the point where I no longer existed as a person, I had no control over any aspect of my life,” she said. Independent“I convinced myself that my kids would be better off if I died, because what had I brought them? I didn’t see that it was ever going to get better,,, It was just getting worse, And I didn’t know how to get out, I was so overwhelmed, I thought I had to get out,”
The woman said that not only did she go missing several times during that marriage, but she also suffered “extreme violence”, including sexual assault, as a teenager. “I couldn’t figure out how I was going to get out of this situation, so this was the most logical thing for me to do,” she said.
Especially during the period when she was a girl, the woman said she received little support. Decades later, many young people at risk of disappearance still say there are no services designed to meet their needs.
with missing people, Independent is raising money to launch a new national lifeline for missing youth. secure callA free, around-the-clock service aims to reach the more than 72,000 children who go missing in the UK each year, providing them with support, safety and connection when they need it most.
donate Here Or text SAFE to 70577 to give missing people £10 – enough to get one child support.
Throwing her support behind the campaign, the woman called SafeCall “important, life-changing and life-saving”.
Reflecting on what the service would offer girls in similar circumstances when she was a teenager, she said: “[It will] Give them hope, hope that there is a future, there is a way out, you will find relief, and there are people who will support you – all things I didn’t have.
Missing People estimates that at least a third (34 percent) of the disappearances of women and girls each year are linked to violence, with research showing that domestic abuse and other personal safety concerns, such as sexual violence and honor-based abuse, account for the disappearance of an estimated 22,000 women and 19,000 girls. The charity said the most common reason for women and girls going missing is fear for their own safety, with women aged 18 to 64 being most at risk of harm while they go missing.
Police have now promised the charity that they will update national police guidance and officer training to highlight the links between disappearances and VAWG, and that missing persons are a key contact point for the identification, protection and support of missing people. But Missing People claims that, at present, opportunities to protect victims are potentially being missed.
“I think it’s really a hidden crisis,” said Susannah Drury, director of policy and development at Missing People. Independent. Reasons they cited for lack of awareness include insufficient investigation into what happened to people after they were found when they were missing, and the difficulties women and girls face in disclosing these experiences, including distrust of the police and fear of repercussions from abusers.
Another woman told Independent As a teenager she was in an abusive relationship, during which she was stalked, faced death threats and endured emotional, physical, sexual, financial and digital abuse. She said that she had wanted to disappear countless times “to try to escape her reality”, and was feeling frustrated at losing options, but the control she faced from her abuser was so great that she was unable to do so.
“They will put pressure on you to go and disappear – this has happened several times,” he said.
“But it was like I physically couldn’t do it because of the controlling, and if you tried to disappear, he would probably think you disappeared with someone else, and then that fear and those threats wouldn’t let you go anywhere probably.
“But I wanted to disappear from my mind. When you disappear, people see the physical action, but really it’s all happening in their own mind – not wanting to be seen, or not wanting to be a part of this world… It was really, really hard.”
Ms Drury called for links between the disappearances and the VAWG to be “recognized and responded to”. She said: “This is a massive issue, with women and girls being harmed, and in some cases tragically losing their lives, linked to this type of violence. And we know that disappearances are so important as a crisis signal, that something is seriously wrong, that police and other agencies need to respond.”
Damian Miller, head of national policing for missing persons, said: “It is vital that investigating officers are professionally inquisitive, do not make assumptions and are aware of the potential hidden harms. We are committed to continually improving and refreshing guidance and training to ensure that investigators are well-equipped to deal with the complex situations they may encounter in order to protect people at risk or victims.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Every missing person case deserves a prompt and thorough response from all protection agencies. We also recognize the link between disappearances and vulnerability to violence against women and girls, which is why tackling VAWG remains central to our approach.”
Please Donate Now The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which aims to raise £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service to help vulnerable children find safety and support.
If you or a loved one is missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116000 for advice, support and options. It’s free, confidential and non-judgmental. or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or struggling to cope, you can speak to Samaritans in confidence on 116 123 (UK & ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit Samaria website to get details of your nearest branch. If you live in the United States, and you or someone you know needs mental health support right now, call or text 988, or go to 988lifeline.org To access online chat from 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country then you can go www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you.