Domestic violence campaign extended

Child protection experts have voiced growing concerns that many teenagers who are enduring both physical and psychological abuse at home are suffering in silence.

An initiative launched at the end of last year in the Craven district has been heralded as key to helping combat the problem.

It is now hoped that a DVD showcasing a short film produced by a group of seven youngsters will be distributed throughout North Yorkshire to highlight the hidden problem of domestic abuse.

A DVD and resource pack is being produced to run workshops in schools and at youth events as a means of offering support and crucial information.

The project, dubbed Behind Closed Doors, has been overseen by Natalia Oates and Emma Hopkinson, who are both youth support workers with North Yorkshire County Council’s Craven Prevention Team.

Miss Oates said: “The whole topic of domestic abuse is still very much taboo, and it is often very difficult to quantify.

“There could be so many more victims out there who simply have not come forward, especially in such a large area as North Yorkshire.

“Ultimately we would love to distribute the DVD to schools across the county as well as giving the chance for the young people involved to go out and actually discuss the issues with their peers.”

The Behind Closed Doors project was launched in October, and saw theatre and film professionals help the young people produce the DVD, which highlights the plight of a teenage boy who is suffering from domestic abuse.

Seven members aged between 11 and 16 of the county council’s Otley Street Youth and Community Centre in Skipton were involved in the initiative.