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One of the largest drugstore chains in Britain, Boots, announced Friday that it was setting up a program in its pharmacies to provide safe spaces for victims and survivors fleeing domestic violence to find help.
From Friday, anyone who needs help will be able to ask a pharmacist to use a Boots consultation room, where they’ll be able to access domestic abuse helplines as well as other resources, the domestic violence charity Hestia announced in a statement.
Pharmacies are one of the services deemed essential under the U.K.’s coronavirus policy, so people are free to leave their homes to visit them without violating quarantine guidance.
“Whilst lockdown and social distancing measures continue, it is restricting victims of domestic abuse reaching out to their friends, family and co-workers for support. We know there is an increased level of uncertainty for people looking to escape an abusive relationship,” Lyndsey Dearlove, head of Hestia’s anti-domestic abuse program UK SAYS NO MORE said in a statement.
One survivor who fled an abusive home said the new program could make a big difference, according to the statement.
“Sometimes getting out of that bubble of abuse, that you are in at home, helps you to realise that help is out there… An abuser wouldn’t really think that their victim could access help at the local pharmacy or be able to have a moment in a place like that. So being able to contact a domestic violence helpline in this way will be life changing for many,” the survivor said.
If you are a survivor or victim in the U.S. and it is an emergency, dial 911. Other resources include: The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE, or text LOVEIS to 22522. If it is an emergency in the U.K., call the police at 999, or for additional resources in Britain, you can dial the National Domestic Abuse hotline at 0808 2000 247.
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