Activism and advocacy

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Survivors Summit: my experience

Posted by Becky Watson Lee on 20 May 2025

 

In March, I attended the first survivors summit organised by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s (DAC) office. Although Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs has been in post since 2019, the current government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls within the decade has prompted ministers and civil servants to listen more intently to the reports and recommendations from her office. The survivors summit was a great opportunity, at just the right time, to share the perspectives of survivors, so that policy and practice can be better informed, and meet the priorities of those who are affected by domestic abuse. 

Who was there?

25 survivors gathered in London for two days, along with members from the DAC office and civil servants. Yvette Cooper MP and Jess Phillips MP joined via video, and Alex Davies-Jones MP attended in person. 

There was significant diversity in the survivors attending: different cultural backgrounds, genders, sexualities, faiths, and disabilities. I spoke to solicitors, teachers, nurses, IDVAs, charity workers, and police officers. And while there were many common themes in our stories, each survivor had their own unique experience of abuse, covering physical, emotional, psychological, financial, sexual, spiritual and honour-based abuse. The stories were moving and painful to hear, but there was a collective sense of empowerment, a gratitude for the space to make our voices heard, and the hope that change would come as a result. 

Throughout the day, a ‘visual scribe’ created illustrations summarising our discussions. Credit: www.jamesthescribe.com/

“While there were many common themes in our stories, each survivor had their own unique experience of abuse…the stories were moving and painful to hear, but there was a collective sense of empowerment.”

What did we discuss?

The summit involved a series of guided conversations. Two of these were with the whole group, but the majority were smaller, round-table discussions. Across the two days, we shared our experiences of and recommendations for:

Again, there were many common themes. The desperate need for trauma-informed care within all of these sectors. Better training about domestic abuse to increase understanding and improve response. A growing awareness of how biased systems are in favour of perpetrators.

It was a privilege to be able to speak into these topics with reflections from my own story, but also to speak about Restored and the Faith and VAWG coalition when considering how faith can be an additional barrier for survivors to access support. I advocated for better working partnerships between specialist domestic abuse services and faith communities. 

We discussed the different factors that can make it difficult for survivors to find support, and I explained how survivors of faith can face specific barriers. Image credit: www.jamesthescribe.com/

I explained that secular services need to understand the important role that faith can play in a survivor’s life. Training for secular services around the particularly toxic impact of spiritual abuse would be beneficial, alongside an awareness of the positive support and comfort that faith communities can bring. Whilst specialist services can often only accompany survivors in the short term, faith communities can be there for the long haul.  

Alongside this, I stressed the importance of faith communities receiving training about domestic abuse from specialist services. Their role in people’s lives demands thorough equipping so that faith communities can all be spaces where survivors flourish and misogyny is not tolerated. Restored and the wider Faith and VAWG coalition can be instrumental in fostering these connections so that wisdom and understanding is shared and experiences for survivors improves. 

“I explained that secular services need to understand the important role that faith can play in a survivor’s life. Whilst specialist services can often only accompany survivors in the short term, faith communities can be there for the long haul.”

How can we pray?

The summit was intense, but it was also inspiring. There was much to give thanks for, and also many things to continue to pray about.

Give thanks for:

Please pray for:

The Survivors Network

If you, or someone you know, is a survivor of domestic abuse, our online network is there to provide support for the long term. Members receive regular emails above recovery and faith, as well as opportunities to join recovery courses and peer support groups, giving the chance for connection and community with others who understand.

The Survivors Network