Alesha Dixon, talent show judge, dancer, singer and performer is supporting a campaign for women affected by domestic violence as it has been revealed that two women are killed by current or former partners each week in England and Wales.
The campaign involves a walk over Westminster Bridge to Parliament Square in London, and she believes that it will help make a difference to the figures.
Tina Royles is the UK's leading domestic violence expert with over 20 years' experience on the frontline and on a strategic level. She provides domestic violence counselling and consultancy to individuals and organisations. She says:
"Having a Celebrity associated with or fronting any awareness raising of domestic violence is always a good thing as it puts the issue of domestic violence firmly in the public arena, and also brings it to the attention of the political parties.
"However, what we need to move away from is the culture of if we work with one party of domestic violence whether the victim or the perpetrator then we will be able to make significant inroads; because this is what has happened for the last thirty years and we are not moving far enough forward, as domestic violence incidents continue to rise, and domestic violence murders are still happening on a frequent basis.
"It is not just about focusing on the perpetrators and exploring the reason why the violence and abuse occurs - it is also about working with victims and exploring their messages around relationships, and raising their awareness of the complexities, the impact and of safety measures, and it is also about working with children to explore their emotions, the impact and make key interventions to attempt to prevent the cycle of abuse from continuing. So yes we need to focus on specific individual targeted work with all parties involved in domestic violence i.e victim, perpetrator and children to tackle this complex issue, but we need to do it in a more holistic way - so as to attempt to deal with it as a whole."
Tina Royles is one of the UK's most qualified and experienced domestic violence experts providing consultancy and advice to those who have suffered domestic violence, are currently in violent relationships or to friends and family of those affected. Tina provides the domestic violence information, materials and tools to manage relationship difficulties and domestic violence through awareness and education and is regularly called upon by the national and local press to provide expert comments on high profile cases.
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