National domestic abuse charity, Refuge, has launched a new online platform for the National Domestic Abuse Helpline.

Domestic abuse is one of the biggest issues facing women and children in the UK, with 1.6 million women experiencing domestic abuse in the year ending March 2019 and a devastating two women a week reportedly killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales alone.

To continue to raise awareness and provide support for survivors, Refuge took over the running of the helpline from November 2019. In addition to the website, the helpline will provide digital and mobile resources for survivors, with aims for the new service to increase the number of calls the hotline handles, ensuring more survivors of abuse are able to seek the essential help they need.

Digital agency Mirum was selected to support Refuge through its digital transformation and has embarked on the project with the goal to use the digital channel to inform and support more survivors than ever before; and to empower them to call the helpline should they need help leaving an abusive partner.

Commenting on the project, Chris Daplyn, CEO at Mirum UK said:

I am immensely proud of this work. In partnership with Refuge, we have built a digital service that we hope will empower some of the most vulnerable people in the UK to escape violence and abuse, which has no place in our society. As an agency, we believe that people deserve better. And no project has really brought that statement to life like this one.

Lisa King, director of communications and external relations at Refuge said:

The Helpline website, designed by survivors, for survivors, places critical information front and centre and has safety and accessibility running through its core. We are indebted to Mirum for its phenomenal support and commitment to ensuring every woman can access the support she needs; nationaldahelpline.org.uk will save and change lives.

Photo: Ivan Radic, licensed under Creative Commons