Domestic abuse is not fair game

The event, which took place at Brent Civic Centre, attracted people from across Brent and there were several speeches by key guests, including one by Seema Malhotra MP, the first person ever to be appointed to the post of Shadow Minister for Preventing Violence Against Women and Children.
Other guests included Chris Green, Director of the White Ribbon Campaign, Councillor James Denselow, Lead Member for Stronger Communities at Brent Council and Detective Superintendent Tariq Sarwar from Brent Police.
The pledge signatories vow never to commit, condone or remain silent about all forms of domestic abuse.
White biodegradable balloons were released to remember the victims of domestic violence.
The theme for this year’s event was football and domestic abuse and the event was titled ‘Domestic Abuse Is Not Fair Game’.
Brent is home to the national football stadium, Wembley, and the theme was chosen to highlight the increase in cases of domestic abuse after football games and sporting events prompted by heightened emotions and frustrations if a team has not performed well combined with excessive alcohol consumption.
The shocking statistics around domestic abuse are that 1 in 4 women are affected by domestic abuse in their lifetime, 90 per cent of cases of domestic abuse are witnessed by children and two women in England and Wales die each week from domestic abuse.