CCChat-Magazine_Issue-27-Survivors-Speak

The support SODA gives is unique to
each individual who contacts us and
there's a variety of ways that people
can get in touch with SODA.
M: Oh, that's brilliant.
S:I just wanted to say as well, that the
one thing we can all do for victims of
domestic abuse is raise awareness
through our own personal experience.
So because of my experience with the
workplace, I'm an ambassador for an
organisation called Employers
Initiative on Domestic Abuse
(www.eida.org.uk) and they provide
free resources to employers who can
then support their staff, if they confide
in them that they're experiencing
domestic abuse, because I feel, when I
lost my job, my boss wasn’t very
understanding, he had no education
about domestic abuse and he didn't
realise that he put me in further
danger, because now I've got no reason
to leave home and no financial
independence to leave, if I wanting to.
I think it's really important for bosses
and companies to understand those
things to help keep their staff safe.
M: I've heard too many stories of
bosses who, as soon as one of their
employees has experienced domestic
violence, they literally get rid of them,
because it's too much hassle for them
and they don’t want to get involved.
S: I had a survivor contact me within
the last month saying exactly the same.
She worked for a very large and well
known company, and she got evidence
of everything that had happened at
work, and they just kind of pushed it
under the carpet and took the side of
the perpetrator.
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