Stand up to Domestic Abuse
Still We Rise
Non-fatal strangulation
I want to thank all those who took the time and signed my non-fatal strangulation petition which received over 100k signatures. I also want to thank the women who took part in mine and Professor Jane Monckton Smith’s survey, sharing your experiences was not easy. Your voices were heard, and went towards making non-fatal strangulation a specific crime.
It will now have a place in the Domestic Abuse Bill and carry a maximum sentence of up to 5 years for anyone convicted of this violent crime. WE DID IT!!
After 18 years in an abusive relationship, Rachel was shot and severely injured by her violent partner in 2011. He then committed suicide, as did her 16 year old son Jack, shortly after the attack.
Rachel spent several weeks in hospital and now lives with life altering injuries.
Rachel is founder of SUTDA, (Stand Up to Domestic Abuse) a Patron for WCID – What Can I Do and Ambassador for Locality Solutions.
She campaigns tirelessly and is committed to ending domestic abuse.
She has 4 successful petitions on change.org with a combined 1/2 million signatures.
A qualified IDVA, Rachel also runs an online awareness Facebook page called Don’t Look Back.
Her ambition includes to set up the ‘House that Jack Built’ a children and young person’s refuge and place of safety, in memory of her son.
Congratulations Rachel - Winner 2020 St Davids Award
Rachel Williams
Nominated for Humanitarian award
Rachel Williams is a leading advocate in the campaign against domestic violence. She is a survivor of 18 years of severe domestic abuse, which ended in 2011 when her abuser shot her with a sawn off shot gun before hanging himself. 6 weeks later her 16 year old son hung himself due to the trauma of the years of abuse and subsequent shooting of his mother. She survived by the skin of her teeth and now campaigns tirelessly to help other survivors.
She is at the forefront of pushing the domestic abuse bill through Parliament, and on 13th September 2019, hosted the first ever survivor-led domestic abuse conference in South Wales: Stand Up to Domestic Abuse (#sutda), which brought together many survivors and professionals. Rachel is brave, kind, and passionate, and has dedicated her life to helping women all over the country.
Rachel is an ambassador for The Freedom Programme, and she has been working with SafeLives for many years, first as a member of their ‘Friends and Families Group’ and now as a SafeLives Pioneer. She brings heart, honesty, bravery and absolute expertise to her work. SafeLives would be a completely different organisation without her.
From sitting on domestic abuse project boards, to speaking to the national media, Rachel shows authenticity in every action, every word she speaks. She changes the domestic abuse sector by bringing all of these voices together, and she changes the lives of the women she is representing.
Rachel's ambition is to have a world where domestic abuse is no longer. Where those who perpetrate abuse will be frowned upon, and put in the same spotlight as sex offenders. The shame must always lie at the feet of those who perpetrate abuse and we must be strong in reflecting this going forward.
Our aims are to:
- improve the relationships between services and service users
- make sure everyone who deals with domestic abuse is specialist trained to be able to help victims and survivors in the best possible way
- to encourage services to put those with lived experience at the heart of everything they do. We are experts by experience and need to be heard
- raise awareness of this epidemic, and progress with the petitions until the changes we are calling for are acted upon and implemented.
- hold professionals to account (if needed)
Check out the SUTDA Shop
The Devil at Home
The horrific true story of a woman held captive
Featured on ITV's Lorraine with Michael Sheen and Rachel Williams.
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Kindly supported by the Moondance Foundation
