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Caroline's Story
Caroline is 72 years old and has been subjected to domestic abuse from her husband, Martin throughout their 35-year marriage. Martin verbally abused her and was very controlling. She was not allowed to read or knit as this meant she wasn’t paying attention to him. She found it very difficult to contact NDAS due to Martin always being by her side. She emailed our advice line and made a few short calls when she was able to.
Caroline was very scared to leave her home and her husband as she felt as if she has nowhere to go. Our advice worker talked to Caroline about the options available to her and reassured her throughout that she would be supported.
Caroline eventually managed to leave the house and presented at her local pharmacy as part of their “Ask for ANI” scheme.
We completed a refuge assessment with Caroline that evening and thanks to the persistence of our advice workers and Caroline’s courage she came into our refuge the next morning, less than 24 hours after fleeing her perpetrator.
We discovered that Caroline used to be a keen knitter, so we sourced a donation of some wool which she put to very good use. Caroline is now living in supported accommodation and is happily knitting away, free from fear.
Domestic violence, also called domestic abuse, includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse in couple relationships or between family members.
Domestic violence can happen against anyone, and anybody can be an abuser.
More information:
Ask for Ani Codeword
Did you know that if you are experiencing domestic abuse and need immediate help, you can ask for ‘ANI’ in a participating pharmacy. ‘ANI’ stands for Action Needed Immediately.
If a pharmacy has the ‘Ask for ANI’ logo on display, it means they’re ready to help. They will offer you a private space, provide a phone and ask if you need support from the police or other domestic abuse support services.