SOS: SAVE OUR SOULS with Mask-19 

#AntiDomesticViolenceDuringPandemic 

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A GLOBAL CONCERN NONETHELESS BRITISH.

In 2019, around 1.6 million women suffered from domestic abuse in England and Wales, while the number of children exposed to domestic violence in the UK was estimated at around 963,000.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are obliged to stay in isolation at home for an indefinite period of time. This is a serious concern for those who are suffering from domestic violence who have to stay at home with their abusers.

The Spanish Government has recently implemented a new campaign “Mascarilla-19” (Mask-19) to protect those who suffer from domestic violence during the pandemic’s isolation, enabling them to give an alert about their situation to pharmacies by using the coded message “Mask-19”. The pharmacies can then contact the police to assist in providing support. Can this be done in the UK too? “Mask-19” can protect us from the double threat of COVID-19 and domestic violence in the UK. But we need your help! 

So we are asking you to sign and support this petition to ask the UK Government to adopt the 'Mask-19' initiative.  

MASK-19 CAN SAVE OUR SOULS both from CORONAVIRUS and DOMESTIC VIOLENCE during pandemic isolation.

Please help us with this.

Thank you so much!

PS. The initiative above is very similar to 'Ask for Angela' campaign rolled out across the UK in 2016 in a date scenario

OTHER ANTI-DOMESTIC ABUSE PETITION TO SUPPORT:

https://www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-government-action-with-keeping-victims-of-abuse-safe/psf/promote_or_share

SPECIAL THANKS 

Thanks so much to Anita Kanitz from Stuttgart, Germany for her AMAZING contribution to this initiative: a must-read!

PRESS:

Coronavirus: Impact of domestic abuse on children in lockdown – BBC Newsnight​

UK Failing Domestic Abuse Victims in Pandemic​

Coronavirus lockdown: Domestic abuse referrals in Hackney rise by 60 per cent​

Coronavirus: 4,000 domestic abuse arrests in London in just six weeks, police say​

Coronavirus: Government pledges £76m for abuse victims​

Coronavirus: Domestic abuse victims 'still allowed to leave home'​

Domestic  abuse cases soar as lockdown takes its toll​

Coronavirus: Domestic abuse calls up 25% since lockdown, a charity says​

Coronavirus: Domestic abuse services to get £2m amid lockdown​

Lockdowns around the world bring rise in domestic violence

HOW TO GET HELP

Support for victims of domestic violence​

Getting help and support for domestic violence