Coventry Community Safety Partnership

Coventry Blaze Domestic Violence Poster

The treble-winning club is supporting the city's Domestic Violence and Abuse Partnership's drive to encourage victims, their friends and neighbours to report incidents.

As well as featuring in a poster campaign, the club has given regular slots in matchday programme to raise awareness throughout the season. A bus advertising campaign featuring the posters will run over the New Year period.

Hitting back

Two of the highest profile Blaze players - forwards Danny Stewart and Russ Cowley- are fronting the campaign which calls on neighbours and friends to report their suspicions of domestic violence.

Danny said: "Ice hockey is a game with a hard image, but we go into our matches with padding and protection - unlike victims of domestic violence who are subjected to unacceptable abuse.

"Ice hockey is a family game and we have a large and growing following, so we're in a unique position to outline how domestic violence has no place in society."

Russ added: "We all have a responsibility to look after our friends and neighbours – this includes calling the police if we know or suspect abuse is happening.

"A part of the campaign we're finding out more and more about domestic violence and hope to have the chance to personally spread this information to our supporters."

Domestic Violence and Abuse Partnership chair Jan Nichols said: "Domestic abuse is all about control – often by men over women – and often starts with verbal abuse and bullying and spirals into physical violence.

"As well as physical injuries, it is a major cause of depression, suicide and homelessness and also has an enormous impact on any children within the family.

"It's great that the Blaze are helping to raise awareness of our responsibility for us all to help put an end to domestic violence by reporting the perpetrators. We must always remember domestic violence is never acceptable and never deserved."

What is domestic abuse and violence?

Domestic violence and abuse includes a variety of behaviour, including:

• Physical abuse; like punching, pushing, slapping, biting, choking, pulling hair and burning
• Emotional abuse; like being verbally abused and humiliated, constantly blamed or criticised, kept away from family or friends
• Financial abuse; like being kept without money, having wages or benefits taken from you, or having to account for all your spending
• Sexual violence; like rape, being forced to watch or act out pornography and indecent phone calls
• Threatening behaviour; like verbal and physical threats, being stalked or pestered

Some key facts about domestic violence

• 1 in 4 women will be a victim of violence and abuse in their life time
• about 20,000 women and 24,000 children stay in domestic violence refuge accommodation every year
• 89% of victims who suffer sustained domestic abuse are female – 30% of domestic abuse starts or escalates during pregnancy
• One incident of domestic violence and abuse is reported to the police every minute – less than half of domestic violence crime is reported to the police
• Violence against women causes more deaths and disabilities among women under 44 than cancer, traffic accidents, malaria or war

How can you help

Print out and display the posters and help raise awareness of domestic violence and services available to help challenge perpetrators and support victims.