Despite being a very personal issue, Domestic Violence is very widespread. UK statistics show that one in four women experience domestic violence in their lifetimes (Council of Europe, 2002). There were an estimated 12.9 million acts of domestic violence against women and 2.5 million against men in England and Wales in the year preceding interview (Welby & Allen, 2004). Police in the UK receive a call about domestic violence about once every minute. That’s 1,300 calls each day and over 570,000 every year (Stanko 2000). This is a staggering number, and is made all the more harrowing when you know that less than 40% of domestic violence is reported to the police (Dodd et. al, July 2004; Welby & Allen, 2004; Home Office, 2002).

 

This needs to change.

 

As a result, we are organising Eastern Pearls: Arabian Nights and Bollywood Dreams to fund raise for Human Appeal International’s ‘Our Haven’ project by celebrating the rich cultures of Arabia and South Asia, in an effort to help those who have suffered from domestic violence. You can find out more about Human Appeal International and their project here.