Dumbarton District Women’s Aid FAQs are listed below:
Talking about your concerns with someone outside of the situation can help. Contact us if you can on 01389 751035 (Mon to Fri, 9am-5pm) – the information you give us will be kept strictly confidential. Alternatively contact the 24 hour national helpline on 0800 027 1234.
Unfortunately, domestic abuse is fairly common – one in four women in Scotland have experienced it at some point in their lives. In 2016-17 there were 58,810 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland, making it the greatest single demand on Police Scotland.
Domestic abuse can take many forms – it can be physical, verbal, emotional, financial, sexual or a combination of these. It can involve stalking and/or digital control over your access to and use of social media. It can involve threats to you or your loved ones and/or isolation from friends and family.
Abusive partners who use alcohol and drugs may use this as an excuse for their behaviour and they may behave more dangerously, or this may escalate towards their victim when they have been using alcohol or drugs. But evidence shows that it is not the root cause of the abuse. Using alcohol and drugs does not excuse abusive behaviour.
Women do not deliberately set out to find abusive men. Abusers are skilled manipulators and will wear down their victims so that they no longer feel entitled to safety and in many instances isolated from family and friends. Added to this, often, abuse only starts when a relationship is well established.
Of course you can, we will try and support you to support the person you are worried about.
If you are worried about using your phone in case your phone is being monitored try to use a friend’s phone to contact us on 01389 751036. Alternatively, you can group@ddwa.org.uk or cover your tracks by reading the section on our website and leave the site safely.
