Chair of London Youth Assembly, tells Government to prioritise help for the children affected by domestic abuse
The Chair of the London Youth Assembly, Ashan Khehra, says the Government must do more to support the children affected by domestic abuse. Ashan, an ambassador for the national children’s charity, KidsOut, who help support children who live in women’s refuges after fleeing domestic abuse, says that thousands of these children face having no professional mental health support for months, and that is despite them witnessing or being the victim of emotional, violent, and even sexual abuse.
Each year, approximately 30,000 children, along with their parent will find safety in women’s refuges and safehouses, often having to live in one room with their siblings and parent for anything up to two years. These vulnerable children will have had to leave everything that is familiar behind them, including family, friends, schools, and belongings, often arriving in refuge with no more than the clothes they are wearing.
Despite local authorities required to give these families immediate shelter they do not have to provide the children with mental health support.
Ashan, who last year founded the ‘Reach for the Stars’ fundraising campaign to take children living in London refuges on a day trip this summer so they have something to look forward to, has requested a meeting with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Jess Phillips, to ask Government to ring fence a budget to provide appropriate counselling for what are some of the most vulnerable children in the UK.
As an ambassador for the KidsOut charity, who help support every child living in a women's refuge in the UK, including 7000 disadvantaged children in London, he wants to raise awareness of the impact that domestic abuse has on children, with many experiencing mental health problems, including withdrawal, aggression, eating disorders, and under-developed social skills. Evidence shows that many of these children will in adulthood, suffer from depression, misuse drugs and alcohol, self-harm, and even take their lives.
Ashan said, “Despite the long waiting list for mental health support, surely Government should ensure priority is given to the most vulnerable children in society. I hope very much that I can use my platform as Chair of the London Youth Assembly, to bring change.”