Safe spaces
Home should be a place of security and comfort – a safe haven. But the growing reports of domestic violence during lockdown demonstrated that simply isn’t the reality for many people.
In response, Royal Mail has worked with crisis charity Hestia and their ‘UKSAYSNOMORE’ campaign to develop ‘Online Safe Spaces’ – an online service to support people who are the victims of domestic abuse.
The discreet portal opens in a pop-up window and can be installed on corporate websites for free, to help abuse victims to access support and advice, while leaving no internet history trace.
The help available includes: advice on when to dial 999, national helplines, local support groups and a questionnaire to determine a person’s domestic abuse risk.
The portal also features a quick exit button, ensuring the safety of those using the service.
The initiative was developed by senior legal advisor, Charlie Ryan, as part of the business’s entry in the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers - Global Legal Hackathon Challenge, which asked participants to produce pioneering solutions to societal problems posed by the Covid-19 crisis.
Sally Ashford, chief HR officer, said: ‘We have developed the ‘Online Safe Spaces’ portal to help victims of domestic abuse access vital support if they need it online.
‘By placing the link on high traffic websites like Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide, we hope that victims will be able to use the service discreetly if required without placing themselves at further risk.
‘We are encouraging all our partners to install the portal on their sites too. We hope that the portal will inspire affected individuals to feel confident enough to seek help.’
For more information on the initiative please email community@royalmail.com.
First Class Support is the confidential and independent helpline provided free for employees and available 24 hours a day. Call 0800 6888 777, visit www.rmgfirstclasssupport.co.uk or download the ‘Lifeworks’ app. New users of the website or app will need to ‘sign up’ using a unique invitation code, which is RMG- and then your payroll number, for example RMG-12345678.
