The Shadow Pandemic
A domestic abuse learning partnership
The Shadow Pandemic is a domestic abuse learning partnership, that brought together AAFDA, Chayn, Galop, Imkaan, Respect, Rights of Women, SafeLives, Social Finance, Standing Together, Surviving Economic Abuse and Women’s Aid to share expertise following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Supported by The National Lottery Community Fund, the partnership brought together the voices of survivors and practitioners; relevant data from each organisation; and a wealth of practical and policy expertise, to evidence and explain what long-term changes are needed in the sector, as well as in national and local government following the global pandemic.
The name of the partnership was inspired by UN Women's call to action for stakeholders to do more to support domestic abuse organisations.
The shared goals were to:
- Provide agile support to frontline practitioners and those living with domestic abuse.
- Better understand need and where need is not being met, especially since the onset of Covid-19.
- Bring a lens of intersectionality to our understanding of the needs of victims and survivors and our response as a sector
- Better understand why some groups are disproportionately affected by domestic abuse and how we can address structural inequalities.
- See the experience of minoritised groups and those with protected characteristics shift from the margins to the centre of the domestic abuse sector.
- Create more opportunities for survivors to speak in their own voice.
- Ensure the findings reflect the diversity of experiences of survivors, recognising that no one size fits all.
- To ensure the sector is better placed, informed, connected and funded to meet the increased need.
- To ensure that policy makers, funders and other decision makers are fully aware of the impact Covid -19 has had on those experiencing domestic abuse and the sector responding to it, and are making decisions and funding allocations accordingly
While some partners work across the United Kingdom and beyond it is important to note that the funding provided by TNLCF for this partnership is for England only.