TWO organisations united by a common desire to see an end to violence against women will be standing together in Salisbury Market Square to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the many other manifestations of violence against women and girls on Sunday 27 November.

Soroptimist International of Salisbury and the Mothers’ Union, Diocese of Salisbury, have teamed up as part of the UN’s annual #Orangetheworld 16 Days of Activism on Violence Against Women.

Members of the two local groups will be staffing a stall to engage with members of the public to discuss these important issues.

The Mothers’ Union campaign Logo “No more 1 in 3” in black & purple is a vivid reminder of mental and physical damage and bruising victims experience. The Soroptimists use orange, as used by the UN. The colour orange symbolises a brighter future, free of violence. It serves as a means of demonstrating our solidarity in eliminating all forms of violence and it is used as the colour of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Whether orange or purple, the sentiments and messages of the two organisations are the same: “There is no room for violence against women anywhere in our world!”

The stall will be themed by both organisations to ‘signpost’ the signs of abuse aiming to raise awareness. Domestic abuse affects people throughout society and at every stage of life. Many women don’t speak out due to fear or feeling ashamed, thinking it is their fault.

It is easy to miss the signs of a coercive, abusive relationship or to ask for help. Members of both organisations will have information to pass on about domestic abuse and the support services that are available locally to help at times of crisis.

As well as bookmarks on what a heathy relationship looks like, members will have other goodies such as fresh fruit and balloons to hand out to interested visitors to the stall.

#Orangetheworld is an annual worldwide campaign aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls around the world and seeks to raise the profile of the many forms of abuse that are perpetrated on women and girls. These include rape, trafficking, domestic violence, coercive control, forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).

An estimated 1.6 million women experience domestic abuse every year. One in seven children and young people will have lived with domestic violence at some point in their childhood. Three women are killed every fortnight by a current or ex-partner.

So much needs to change.