Are you going through domestic abuse and need help?

On this page:

• If you are living with abuse
• Where you can get help
• Online safety
• Forced marriage and honour based violence
• Sexual assault
• More information

If you are living with abuse

Being in an abusive environment can be very hard to cope with. There are steps you can take to increase your personal safety (and that of your children).

For more about this, please see: Safety planning.

Where you can get help

• National Domestic Violence Helpline:
  • phone: 0808 2000247 (Free 24 hour).
• Childline: Childline.org.
• Calderdale's First Response Team for: Child protection.
• Gateway to Care for: Safeguarding adults.
• West Yorkshire Police:
  • phone: 101.
• West Yorkshire Police Safeguarding Unit:
  • phone: (01422) 337041.
• Calderdale Staying Safe. Free advice for women and men.
  • Address: 23 Silver Street, Halifax. HX1 1JN.
  • Phone: (01422) 323339.
• Staying Safe (Polish, Urdu)(PDF 658KB)
• Victim support. Free support for women and men.
  • Address: 19 - 25, Wood Street, Wakefield. WF1 2EL.
  • Phone: 0300 3031971 or 0808 1689111.
• Stalking: Suzie Lamplugh Trust.
  • Phone: 0808 8020 300.
  • Website: Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
• Galop Advice for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or trans people.
  • Phone: 0207 7042040.

Other information

• Three Steps to Escaping Domestic Violence.
• Survivor's Handbook (English).
• Survivor's Handbook (other languages).

Online safety

For help to stay safe online. To report online abuse, stop a private sexual image being shared and more, see: Empowering women to be safe online.

Forced marriage and honour-based violence

A forced marriage is:

• where one or both people, do not or may not be able to consent or agree to the marriage.

Pressure or abuse may be used like:

• threats;
• physical or sexual violence;
• or they may not be allowed to have any money.

They are made to feel bad or like they are bringing shame on the family. This behaviour is called 'Honour-Based Abuse'.

Forcing someone to marry when they do not want to (without their full agreement or consent) is a crime. It is a form of abuse! Forced marriage and honour-based abuse can affect boys and girls, people of any age, most religions or cultures.

• In an emergency, phone the Police on: 999.
• For a non emergency, phone the Police on 101.
• For children and young people, phone the Multi Agency Screening Team (MAST) on: (01422) 393336.
• For adults, phone Gateway to Care on: (01422) 393000.
• Out of hours, phone the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on: (01422) 288000.
• Calderdale Staying Safe (Domestic Abuse Support Service) on: (01422) 323339.
• Visit: Karma Nirvana or phone their helpline: 0800 5999 247 (free and private).
• Freedom Charity Helpline: 0845 6070133 or text the words '4freedom': to 88802.
• Visit: The Forced Marriage Unit or phone them on their helpline: 02070 080151.
• Forced Marriage Poster(PDF 274KB)
• Forced Marriage Survivors Handbook(PDF 229KB)

Sexual assault

Women and men can get help, treatment and support. Please visit: Find a rape and sexual assault referral centre.

More information

• Debt and money advice and support, visit: Citizens Advice.
• Talking Therapies in Calderdale, visit: Everyturn - Talking Therapies.
• Drugs and alcohol advice and support, visit: Calderdale Recovery Steps.
• Abuse while pregnancy, visit: Domestic abuse in pregnancy.
• Abuse against men, visit: Respect - Men's advice line.