The trauma of domestic abuse was portrayed through a play performed at the Merton Civic Centre on Tuesday.
The story of Sandra, who suffered physical and mental abuse until her death, was told from the perspective of the victim, her sister and a police officer in the form of three powerful monologues.
Safer Merton hosted the play, Waking Up Dead, as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign which runs from November 25 to December 10 each year, raising awareness and urging people from all groups to speak out.
Merton Borough Commander, Detective Chief Superintendent Theresa Breen said: “Don’t be ashamed to tell somebody if you’re a victim, allow the police and our partners to work with you to prevent that happening.
“Recognise that there are victims in every single society, in every community in London, and we want to stop those people being victims.
“I say, everyone that has been a victim, shout out ‘No More’.”
In close collaboration with the Metropolitan Police and other partners, Merton Council stresses its ‘No More’ philosophy by providing a range of services and support for sufferers of all forms of domestic abuse.
Community-based forums, youth parliaments, LGBTQ forums and the confidential One Stop Shop are just some of the ways it engages people of all ages to share their stories.
Merton’s lead councillor on domestic violence issues Katy Neep said: “Merton is a very safe borough and we want to keep it that way.
“We really want to say ‘No More’ but the only way to do that is for people to have these conversations and feel that they are safe and supported to come forward if they are experiencing any of the areas that we touched on.”
A full list of services and advice is available on the Merton Council website.
Victims can visit the One Stop Shop on Mondays between 9.30am and 12noon at the Morden Baptist Church, or call Victim Support on 0207 801 1777.
