SafeLives 15th anniversary reception

Today, The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a reception at Clarence House to mark the 15th anniversary of SafeLives, a charity working to end domestic abuse for good.

Her Royal Highness welcomed staff, supporters and people who had been helped by SafeLives.

Founded by Baroness Diana Barran MBE, in 2005, SafeLives quickly established the ‘best friend’ rule: if your best friend was experiencing domestic abuse, what would you want for them? The anniversary celebration also marks the launch of SafeLives’ #ImASurvivor Valentine’s campaign, which celebrates the collective strength and resilience of the survivor voice. 

The Duchess first learnt about the work of SafeLives during a visit to the charity at the beginning of 2016, and since then has worked with the organisation to help them support more people in need.

During a speech today, Her Royal Highness said: “I visited SafeLives for the first time in 2016 and, as I have said on numerous occasions, that memorable day fired my interest in domestic abuse.

”I did know of people who had suffered from it, but I was both shocked, and horrified by just how many thousands of people across the world live with it. I had the privilege of hearing incredibly brave women (some of whom are here today) standing up to tell their stories. Harrowing stories that reduced many of us listeners to tears.

“But with each story that is told, the taboo around domestic abuse weakens and the silence that surrounds it is broken, so other sufferers can know that there is hope for them and they are not alone.”