Silent 999 call: This ‘secret code’ could save your life if you call emergency services and can’t speak
More than half of women in the UK are unaware of a potentially life-saving emergency helpline for domestic abuse victims who are too frightened to speak out loud, a new study has revealed.
Some 53 per cent of women and 49 per cent of Britons were not familiar with the "999-55" silent lifeline, which connects victims to an operator aware that the caller is unable to summon help.
Women's Aid has now launched a campaign, The Ignored Emergency, spotlighting domestic abuse as a public safety crisis and underscoring the life-or-death stakes of the insidious crime.
It comes as The Independent continues its Brick by Brick campaign , in partnership with the leading domestic abuse charity Refuge, to raise funds to build two houses for women and children escaping abusive partners .
The initial £300,000 target was surpassed thanks to generous donations from readers, with more than £500,000 in donations flooding in so far and plans already underway for a second home.
Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15
The charity polled over 2,200 people and found than half of women and 49 per cent of Britons overall were unaware of the phoneline's existence.
According to the research, we sought to emphasize the prevalence of domestic abuse, women are twice as likely to die at the hands of a partner than from smoke or gas inhalation, and over three times more likely to be killed by a partner than from not wearing a seat belt.
If callers press 55 after ringing 999, the call operator transfers the call to the local police who can then find out the victim's location, enabling individuals to receive urgent support and potentially saving lives.
The line was created as a silent lifeline for situations like domestic abuse where immediate help is required but it is too dangerous for the victim to speak.
In recent years, an average of between two and three women have been killed by a current male partner or ex-partner every week in England and Wales.
Sarah Hill, chair of Women's Aid, said: "Silence can speak volumes, and this is one instance where that is particularly true. Society must come together and recognise domestic abuse as the emergency it is, equipped with the knowledge needed to stand up and protect lives."
Michelle Griffith-Robinson, an ex-Olympic triple-jumper who is an ambassador for the charity, said she hoped the vital campaign and the "powerful films that have been created as part of it, will be a real eye-opener for our society".
Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independent and the charity Refuge, to help raise £300,000 to build a safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make a new future.
