Refuge: Refuge Reversible Poem

Refuge, the UK's largest domestic violence charity, has created a chilling poem that tells the story of a woman who has experienced domestic violence at the hands of an abusive man. Following a successful Christmas campaign, Refuge has published a reversible poem to emphasise the severity and pervasiveness of domestic violence on Valentine's Day, and draw attention to the various forms it can take. This campaign, created for Refuge by advertising agency McCann Bristol, aims to raise awareness of the hidden, insidious nature of domestic violence, and lets victims know that, when their partner 'turns' and becomes controlling, they can turn to Refuge for the support they need to escape and rebuild their lives. Even now, one in four women experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Two women a week are killed at the hands of a partner or ex-partner in England and Wales. And on average, another three women a week commit suicide as a way of escape. Furthermore, in 2018, eight out of 10 women Refuge supported had suffered psychological abuse for an average period of six years. Read one way, the poem tells the story of a whirlwind romance, but when read in reverse it depicts the terrifying reality of living with a perpetrator of domestic violence.