KidsOut have praised the Chair of London Youth Assembly, who has demanded Government prioritise help for the children affected by domestic abuse, as they too can fall victim to suicide in adulthood.

Ashan Keira, an Ambassador for KidsOut, has requested a meeting with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Jess Phillips, to ask for Government to ring fence a budget to provide appropriate counselling for what are some of the most vulnerable children in the UK.

Chair of London Youth Assembly, tells Government to prioritise help for the children affected by domestic abuse

In his letter, Ashan, also Chair of London Youth Assembly, tells the Government to prioritise help for the children affected by domestic abuse.

This request coincides with reported in the Guardian that revealed deaths by suicide among victims of domestic abuse, surpassed the number of people killed by an intimate partner for a second year in a row.

Each year, approximately 20,000 children flee domestic abuse and end up in women’s refuges and safehouses, where they live in one room with their siblings and parent for anything up to two years. These vulnerable children will have had to leave everything that is familiar behind them, including family, friends, schools, pets, and belongings, often arriving in refuge with no more than the clothes they are wearing. Although local authorities are required to give these families immediate shelter they do not have to provide the children with mental health support; that is despite them witnessing or personally experiencing emotional, violent, and even sexual abuse.

KidsOut, who provide wellbeing experience for children who live in over 650 women’s refuges after fleeing domestic abuse, says that thousands of these children face having no professional mental health support for months. The charity wants to raise the awareness of the impact that domestic abuse has on children, with many experiencing mental health problems, including withdrawal, aggression, eating disorders, and under-developed social skills. Evidence shows that many children will in adulthood, go on to suffer from depression, misuse drug and alcohol, self-harm, with some even taking their own lives.

Ashan’s letter to Jess Phillips, said, “Despite the long waiting list for mental health support, surely Government should ensure priority is given to the most vulnerable children in society.”

KidsOut, who last year joined the children’s charity Bear Force in the Houses of Parliament to meet with the previous Conservative Government to discuss the need for mental health support for the forgotten victims of domestic abuse, are hoping Jess Phillips will finally help deliver long-awaited change.