Comic Relief

When Emily was six years old she was already older than her years, she still enjoyed playing with her dollies, watching cartoons and playing dress-ups, she didn't enjoy trying to protect her mum from the heavy fists of her drunken father.

That was over eight years ago. Now thanks to the Trowbridge based Splitz Project Emily and her mum Anne, are safe and their lives are back on track.

The government defines domestic violence as: any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality.

Domestic abuse can include, making you feel scared and intimidated, physical abuse such as hitting or kicking, emotional abuse such as shouting, name calling and threats and sexual assault including having sex with you when you don't want to have sex.

For Anne the abuse started when she was pregnant with Emily. She said: "It all started when I was expecting her, he started going out on his own more and drinking more and it gradually got worse.

Alcohol made Anne's husband more violent

"He used to come home after drinking at the pub, at first it was verbal then it progressed. He dragged me by my hair, naked into the street, he punched me, threw me across the room. Emily would often throw herself in front of me, hoping that her dad would stop hitting me, as he never used to lay a finger on her.

"When he locked me out I had to leave Emily inside the house with him as he wouldn't let me back in, it was awful."

According to Women's Aid, two women per week are killed by current or ex-partners, and one in four women in the UK will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

Often people can't understand why victims of Domestic Abuse don't leave their partners, but as Anne explains it's not that easy: "He told me no-one would believe me if I spoke out about the abuse. He turned his family against me and I had no where to go. I didn't want to split the family up. He made me feel worthless and like I had no confidence.

"Finally I spoke to someone who made me see there was a way out and that's when I took Emily and moved away."

After moving away from her abusive husband and enrolling Emily in a new school, Anne thought that life would become easier. But it wasn't that easy to move on. Emily now 14, said: "My dad would tell me I was worthless, that I wasn't his, he let me see things I just shouldn't have seen.

"When we moved I was still angry. Me and my mum used to argue all the time, as I was so angry about what had happened to us. I didn't do any school work and I didn't make any friends as I used to get to angry and frighten them away."

This is where the Splitz project came in, funded by Comic Relief, the project is aimed at providing one-to-one and group support to young people aged 13 to 16 year olds, who have witnessed domestic abuse and are experiencing difficulties. Each group is 12 weeks and involves some participation by the parent or guardian.

Without Splitz Emily doesn't think she'd be here today: "I would be in care or dead. I was in such a state. But Splitz made me realise I wasn't alone. My college work is a lot better and I have started to make friends. I realise I can't let my dad ruin my life and I've got to get on with things."