TAVISTOCK played host to a major conference last week, when West Devon Community Safety Partnership celebrated the launch of its brand new lifeline for victims of domestic violence, the Outreach Project.
The project, supported by a £63,000 Comic Relief grant and local funding, will provide a listening ear for all women in West Devon suffering violence at home.
A dedicated telephone line, manned by a full-time employee and volunteers, goes live early next year, when support and advice will be on tap and even face-to-face meetings arranged for those in need.
Until now West Devon had no specific support service for victims, yet in the year to February 2000, 167 domestic violence incidents were reported to police in the borough.
Sgt Gary Neeves, chairman of West Devon Domestic Violence Forum, said: 'The aim of the service will be to help people make decisions that are right for them within their own environment.'
Janice Goodwin, project co-ordinator who previously worked at Okehampton's family centre, said: 'A project like this is long overdue in West Devon. We will be able to provide real support for survivors of domestic violence and raise its profile in the public eye.'
The community safety conference, attended by more than 70 delegates from throughout the county, was addressed by psychologist Carolyn Steen, who has worked with abused families for many years.
Mrs Steen told delegates domestic violence is typically self-perpetuating in families.
'The children of abusive families live in fear and confusion. It will not surprise you to learn many abused children fail to thrive, remaining weak and under-nourished.
'They start hitting out at school, they fail to make academic progress, they start truanting, stealing, thus themselves becoming part of the statistics,' she said.
Mrs Steen said the subtleties of abuse go 'far beyond a beating up'.
'The children who suffer most are those who grow up in an emotionally cold and rejecting atmosphere where self-esteem is rock-bottom, they are unloved and not given proper guidance and attention.'
She said prevention of domestic violence involves the whole community — schools, nurseries, health visitors, the police and any community activity where people come together.
Prevention of violence also alleviates fear of violence, said Mrs Steen.
'The old lady living in the safest street in Tavistock who won't go out after 4pm fearing she will be mugged may appear absurd.
'However, her fears are there and the only way they can be tackled is to confront them with her by talking about them, ensuring she obtains support which will enable her to begin to live a tolerable life,' she said.
She said good neighbourliness and tolerance with support were a 'crucial' backdrop to the work of the Outreach Project.
Caroline Keane, chairman of the Community Safety Partnership and West Devon councillor, welcomed delegates to the conference.
She said she was proud to chair a partnership taking 'great strides' to bring injustice to light.
'We are aware many of our citizens continue to live in fear of becoming the victims of all types of crime, even those which are thankfully very rare in this locality,' said Cllr Keane.
'One of our goals today is to learn more about those concerns and whether they can be accurately quantified, in order that staff can devise and implement appropriate measures that properly address those issues.'