Which shops are offering safe spaces to victims of domestic abuse?

‘The expansion of safe spaces into supermarkets could save lives,’ says Lyndsey Dearlove, head of campaign UK Says No More

A Safe Space notice in the window of a Boots Pharmacy on 2 May 2020 in London, United Kingdom (Hollie Adams/Getty)

Ever since lockdown was established across the UK on Monday 23 March, members of the public have been encouraged to stay at home as much as possible so as to prevent spread of the coronavirus.

While this measure may reduce a person’s likelihood of contracting Covid-19, it may also mean that some people are at greater risk of experiencing domestic abuse.

In the week to 15 April, charity Refuge reported a 49 per cent increase in people contacting its National Domestic Abuse Helpline, despite concerns that victims would not be able to seek help while they were trapped in the same household as their abuser.

The Men’s Advice Line also saw a 17 per cent increase in calls, while the National Domestic Violence Helpline has recorded a 25 per cent rise in calls and online requests for help since lockdown was first put in place.

In order to provide help for victims of domestic abuse during the pandemic, crisis charity Hestia has been setting up safe spaces through its UK Says No More campaign.

The safe spaces are private rooms that people who have experienced domestic abuse can safely use in order to contact organisations for help, so that they don't have to risk being overhead on a call at home.

The safe spaces have been put in place in pharmacies, with the possibility of more being set up in the near future.

Where are safe spaces available?

Safe spaces are currently available at Boots pharmacies, Superdrug pharmacies, Morrisons Pharmacies and independent pharmacies.

To find your nearest pharmacy offering a safe space, visit the UK Says No More website here.

Boots announced it was opening safe spaces in its pharmacies earlier this month.

Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist at Boots UK, said that the pharmacy had taken on “increased importance” as a “place of safety for those who need one”.

“We hope that making our consultation rooms safe spaces we can help people find the support they need at this difficult time, when many other options are temporarily unavailable,” Mr Donovan said.

On Wednesday 20 May, Morrisons announced it was also opening up consulting rooms as safe spaces in 117 stores.

Lyndsey Dearlove, head of the UK Says No More campaign, said that the supermarket was “offering a lifeline to many victims of domestic abuse”.

“Supermarket trips are part of a routine that, even during lockdown, provides a vital opportunity to seek help without raising the suspicions of an abusive partner or household member,” Ms Dearlove said. ”The expansion of safe spaces into supermarkets could save lives.”

What happens when you go into a store to use their safe space?

When you enter a store that offers a safe space, you need to first go to the healthcare centre and ask if you can use one of their consultancy rooms, UK Says No More explains.

A pharmacist will then show you to the safe space that is available.

“Once you are inside, all the specialist domestic abuse support information will be available for you to access, and you can make that call safely,” the campaign states.

What does a company need to do to open a safe space?

UK Says No More outlines that “any pharmacy can become a safe space”.

“During Covid-19, key workers in pharmacies hold a unique position as a single point of contact for victims of domestic abuse,” the campaign explains.

If you have a pharmacy and would like to open a safe space, you need to first open up your consultancy room as the area that will be designated a safe space for domestic abuse victims.

You then need to print and display a variety of signs, including a customer-facing poster, a consultancy room poster, a shelf card, a window sticker and a toolkit. All of these are available on the UK Says No More website.

The organisation says that you need to then speak to your staff, asking them to download the Bright Sky app for information on local support services, to read the Safe Spaces Toolkit and to familiarise themselves with certain phrases, such as: “I need to access the consultancy room or safe space.”

The next step is to email uksaysnomore@hestia.org to inform the charity that you have become a safe space, and to promote the safe space within your local community on social media using the hashtag #ListeningFromHome.

For more information, visit the UK Says No More website