The latest speaker at Lockerbie and District Rotary Club was CEO of Dumfries & Stewartry Women’s Aid, Julie Chisholm.
Her talk titled “An Evening with Julie” proved to be an eye-opening talk on the dire need for better understanding and support for those suffering domestic abuse.
Julie has been in the sector for almost 30 years and continues to meet daily with women going through trauma. It seems to signify a real breakdown in society with the incidents related by her being truly horrific. Demand for the service is always increasing and has grown significantly since the Covid pandemic. There is a worrying trend that more and more younger individuals are thinking that abuse is a natural response to some slight.
The first refuge was opened in 1979, and the nine-bedroomed complex was filled within a week. The service has had to grow with demand and now has 15 fully furnished flats and a standalone bungalow for families that may have disabilities. However, the aim remains the same, to provide a place of safety.
Security staff is available 24/7 and often women will say it is the first night’s sleep they have had. A safe house is crucial to the success of the centre in what is often a dangerous situation, and high-risk cases are often placed in Dumfries. The impact of abuse is raised by alcohol, drugs and mental health problems. There is also the more subtle effects of emotional and psychological abuse and Julie often meets women who feel they are made to feel that the abuse must have been their fault. Often women will tolerate serious abuse for some time before making the decision to flee with their children and nothing else.
Dumfriesshire and Stewartry Women’s Aid centre now has an outreach service available and have children’s workers, working one to one with children caught up in the grim situations they find themselves. They also advocate on behalf of women and children.
There was a good question and answer session afterwards before president Ivan Kennedy, who sits on the Children’s Panel, gave a very well-deserved vote of thanks to Julie for a talk which really made all present realise the difficulties faced behind many closed doors.
The winner of the October Lottery draw was Maureen Quinn, who received her prize of £250 from Rotarian Tom McGuiness.
