Coronavirus: Christmas sees rise in domestic abuse calls

Calls to a domestic abuse charity over Christmas and the new year rose by nearly 50%, managers said.

First Light, which helps victims in Devon, Cornwall and Wiltshire blamed the "pressure cooker" of Covid restrictions.

It received 144 calls in the two-week holiday period in 2019/20 compared with 212 over the same period in 2020/21.

The charity is helping doctors to be more aware of the signs of domestic abuse.

Lyn Gooding, chief executive of First Light, said: "Historically the Christmas period sees a rise in domestic abuse incidents, but this is a huge rise from one year to the next.

"This Christmas people had already gone through two lockdowns, they have been trapped in the four walls of their home.

"They cannot get the usual help from friends and family and they are struggling."

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The charity said calls involved victims of both sexes and covered a wide spectrum of ages.

First Light has been working with domestic violence programme Iris on training medics at GP practices and in hospitals to be aware of signs of domestic abuse.

"It is not just physical, it is emotional abuse as well which we train them to spot," said Ms Gooding.

The charity, which has bases in Plymouth and Truro and Swindon, took on more than 10 extra staff to meet demand.

"Everyone is experiencing pressure at the moment, not just with the lockdown but also with people losing jobs and having to look after children who can't go to school," she said.

"It all creates a pressure cooker effect and sadly that impacts on abuse in homes."

If you are affected by domestic abuse, there is a range of services available via the BBC's Action Line page.