This morning my news-feed from theguardian.com revealed the terrible truth on my phone, as breakfast TV reported the insanity of our world where children die unnecessarily and women are still victims of violence. I just couldn’t let this pass by and not comment.

If you are following my blogs you will know I am embarking on a new venture, namely coaching. But I like many who are coached, have often come from difficult beginnings that affect how they operate in the world.

I am an Ambassador for the charity Restored:  www.restorerelationships.org challenging and training faith communities as well secular organisations on the issue of domestic abuse, in order to bring an end to violence against women across the world.

As a writer and therapist working with many who are caught up in the cycle of abuse I am saddened by the figures and the warning from the director of public prosecutions that social media has caused the 10% increase as it is used to threaten and control.

  • Offences including, rape, domestic abuse and sexual assault rose to 117,568!
  • There were 206 prosecutions for revenge porn but more than 3,700 contacted a help line, so really it is the tip of the iceberg…
  • Stalking and intimidation is on the rise -70% were on-going domestic abuse.
  • The DPP accepted that under-reporting still ensured that these figures were only a proportion of the actual offences taking place.
  • Many couples that I work with site pornography as a major problem within their relationships. And with the use of cameras on phones during sex, the rise of 32% of grossly offensive or indecent images does not surprise me. Violent sexual images of  women including rape is changing the sexual landscape and is causing problems for many people.
  • Twitter and Facebook are going to train prosecutors to fight online abuse to try and halt the tsunami of harm that is moving across our land.

So why comment on my blog?

It is all about authenticity. The truth is, I care, and I have seen too many women from all walks of life caught up in this tragedy. Women die every week at the hand of a partner or ex-partner so I have to give them a voice.

As a coach you may think that I would not encounter those in this situation, but I think you would be surprised. Women across all the social classes are victims of power and control and sometimes we cannot see it, even if it under our nose.

To contact me email: susiefj@stay-the-path.org