Domestic abuse campaign: How Peterborough businesses can help save someone’s life

Five years ago Sharon Livermore “came very close to becoming a statistic of domestic abuse”.

She explained: “I experienced many forms of abuse, including physical and emotional, and I am aware that I am one of the lucky ones.”

Sharon, who set up Kameo Recruitment in part to use it as a platform to raise awareness of domestic abuse and to help others, currently works with several businesses in Cambridgeshire to highlight the issue.

She specifically focuses on how businesses should better support staff who are currently, or have been, victims.

Sharon carries out presentations which last approximately an hour, including 15 minutes for questions, and she is now offering this free support to businesses in Peterborough as a new campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse launches in the city.

Sharon said: “Domestic abuse is everybody’s business and employers need to take this issue seriously, as being in a workplace is often the only place a victim is away from their perpetrator and could potentially get the help they need.

“They have a duty of care to their employees and could potentially save someone’s life.”

In November 2019, Kameo co-held its first domestic abuse seminar in Cambridge which 29 companies with a combined workforce of 24,500 attended.

The event’s success led to a number of the employers going on to create a policy around domestic abuse, something which Sharon believes should be mandatory in England.

And despite the coronavirus pandemic putting many things on hold, during the crisis the Environment Agency has asked Kameo to run its domestic abuse seminar to its organisation nationwide.

The presentation now includes how abuse can vary in ethnic minority and LGBT communities and the effect Covid-19 has had on both victims and survivors.

Discussions are now taking place with other businesses to replicate the virtual presentation, and later this month Sharon will be appearing in a networking event alongside the chief executive of Vodafone, the chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs and the chief executive of Collinson Group where she will be discussing her story of survival and the impact businesses can make.

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