Solace Women's Aid

Solace, a leading specialist charity in the UK supporting women and children experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence have launched their heart wrenching Christmas appeal reminding people that it takes a woman on average seven years to leave an abusive relationship. 

The short animation follows the life of ‘Maya’ over seven years of Christmas, based on the Twelve Years of Christmas theme, with the song being brought brilliantly to life by award winning Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem, one of the UK’’s most exceptional and in demand singer songwriters – herself a vocal campaigner against sexual violence and for the right for women and girls to live safe lives. 

The charity support nearly 30,000 women each year in London alone,and say that not only have calls become more complex since the pandemic, but now both service users and workers are concerned by the escalating cost of living. This Christmas Solace will be supporting more than 300 women and families in their refuges as well as continuing to run their many varied services, from advice to rape crisis to therapeutic services aimed at helping women and their families recover from the trauma of abuse. 

Jon Leney, Executive Creative Director of MSQ Sustain, says; 

‘When we learnt that it takes an average of 7 years for women to leave an abusive relationship, we knew this would make a compelling jumping off point for a powerful and emotive film. And by changing the words to a familiar Christmas song, sung by one of the UK’s leading female artists, combined with animation to tell Maya’s story, we’ve been able to bring this horrific fact to people’s attention, this Christmas.’   

Links:

• https://www.solacewomensaid.org/get-involved/7-years-christmas