Zainab had been living with her abusive husband and although she had tried to leave many times, she was always persuaded to return by her family. She experienced physical, sexual and emotional abuse and did not have access to any money.

Zainab was scared and had limited opportunities to seek help. She was given the helpline number by another parent at school and managed to buy a phone to get in touch with the helpline on the walk to school.

How did we support Zainab?

She phoned every day for several days and the team were able to:

• Work with Zainab to make a safety plan for leaving
• Make a referral to social services for further support
• Advocate for her and liaise with schools and social services
• Support her to access legal advice
• Help her report the abuse to the Police
• Provide safe accommodation in one of our refuges

Zainab continues to live in refuge with her children and is accessing the support she needs to begin to heal.