Ceri Owen, a woman from north Wales, was living in a violent and controlling relationship for five years. During that time, she said her partner would pull out her hair, stamp on her head, stop her from sleeping or washing, and make her feel “a shell of a person”. Ceri went from being confident to feeling worthless, and made a will and life insurance at 31, as she believed she would die at the hands of her abusive husband.
Ceri urged women in similar situations to seek help, and spoke out to raise awareness of dangerous signs in a relationship. She stated that no form of abuse is acceptable, no-one does anything to deserve being abused, and people and services are available to help. She hoped her story would help other women leave violent or controlling relationships.
In July, the National Police Chiefs’ Council declared violence against women and girls a “national emergency”. More than one million related crimes were recorded in Wales and England in 2022-23, making up 20% of all crimes documented by the police. The UK government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and announced plans including domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms in Wales and England.
Minister for victims, Pontypridd MP Alex Davies-Jones, said the issue is as serious as terrorism, and the scale of the issue is “horrific”. She stated that on average, three women a week are killed at the hands of men because of domestic abuse and violence in the UK. Davies-Jones promised to continue fighting for victims of domestic violence and abuse
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