hello, it's monday, it's 9 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire. this morning we're live in a domestic violence refuge for women who've fled their abusive partners. i can't describe the countless times i tried to get us out. i can't count the times i was disappointed i couldn't. she took my hand and said to me, if you don't do it now you never will and then you can go back to being the claire we love, the claire you should be and live the life you should be living. if anyone out there has gone through something similar for di went through, you need to find the courage and get away from anything thatis courage and get away from anything that is as unhealthy... the refuge help me recognise i could be more. this wasn't the end of me but the beginning of me. throughout the programme

we'll hearfrom some of the women who're living here and the staff and — as always — really keen to hear your experiences of living in a refuge too. good morning and welcome to the programme. this refuge is in the south east of england — we can't reveal the location because it would put the women at risk of abusive partners trying to find them. this is the main area where the women sit and eat, with their children, they all hang out. the prospect of leaving your own home, often with children, and wearing just the clothes

on your back can be overhwleming, and wearing just the clothes on your back can be overwhelming, frightening and incredibly daunting. this morning we're going to shine on a light on life inside a refuge, and — for the first time on national tv — spend the next 2 hours live inside one but before that, let's bring you the news with carrie gracie. the top stories this morning... the duchess of cambridge has been admitted to hospital in what kensington palace have described as the ‘early stages of labour.‘ the duchess was taken to the lindo wing of st mary's hospital in paddington where her other two children, george and charlotte were also born. the baby prince or princess will be fifth in line to the throne. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell is on the line. what do we know? not an awful lot at this stage, she has been admitted,

the early stages of labour, she got into the hospital without anyone spotting her, just as it was three yea rs spotting her, just as it was three years ago in the case of princess charlotte, that happened fairly quickly, she was admitted at around 6am in the morning and it was all over by about ten o'clock but we will have to wait and see. the duchess accompanied by the duke of cambridge, taken by carfrom kensington palace at some point this morning, admitted and now as we say in the early stages of labour. three yea rs in the early stages of labour. three years since princess charlotte was born at the same maternity unit, five years on extraordinary, really, since we were all outside this very same hospital waiting for the birth of prince george, those went smoothly, it is everything will go smoothly, it is everything will go smoothly today. thank you for that, iam sure smoothly today. thank you for that, i am sure we will hear and see lots more of that maternity wing throughout the course of the

morning. downing street has reiterated the government's commitment to leaving the customs union after brexit, ahead of a symbolic vote in the commons later this week. last wednesday, the government suffered defeat on the eu withdrawal bill in the house of lords — when peers voted in favour of staying in the customs union. as a result, mps will get a chance to debate the proposal on thursday. let's speak to our political correspondent norman smith. how significant is this and the government push ahead of that? it's significant because they say we would like to say in the customs union, it's been fundamental to the prime minister's strategy, we can strike our own trade deals and what's been significant over the last 24—hour as is the effort being made by downing street to allay the fears of those supporting brexit,

the prime minister having any sort of wobble on the issue, following the defeat in the house of lords last week, pressure from eu negotiators who describe the prime minister's alternative proposals as on workable and ahead of a series of crunch votes, we get that symbolic vote on thursday but there are some much more binding votes next month which those supporting brexit say they have been reassured of the government comes to that they are prepared to make a boat of confidence in the government. thank you. the founder of the website money saving expert dot com is taking facebook to court over claims the site published fake adverts bearing his name, some of which were used to scam people. a facebook spokesperson said the site didn't allow misleading adverts. but martin lewis wants the social media giant to change the way it operates — saying his reputation has been damaged. a belgian court has found salah abdeslam, the last surviving suspect in the paris islamist attacks, over a bloody shootout

with police in brussels days before his capture in 2016. he has been found guilty of the charge. that's a summary of the latest bbc news. let's get the sport with azi farni the liverpool forward mohammed saleem went on to win the player of the year. he beat a host of other challengers in the foot by his fellow players scoring 41 goals so far this season, 31 of them in the premier league equalling the record for a 38 game season. franck ribery wonder women's player of the year award, the chelsea striker scored 22 goals in all competitions this season, she was goals in all competitions this season, she was one goals in all competitions this season, she was one of five players

from unbeaten players chelsea to be shortlisted. her award came hours after chelsea's to feed. the blues got off to the perfect start, it was downhill from there, this volley in the 66th minute putting wolfsburg firmly in the driving seat, three one ahead, manchester city have karen bardsley to thank for this said keeping theirfirst karen bardsley to thank for this said keeping their first lake ago cost leon goalless. the return lake in france is on sunday. arsene wenger says the lack of unity among fa ns wenger says the lack of unity among fans in recent seasons has been hurtful to the club. the french man announced last week he would step down at the end of the season after was 22 years in charge, some fans turning on him in recent years holding up signs at matches but his

tea m holding up signs at matches but his team have started his farewell in the perfect way winning 4—1 against west ham. the last two goals scored in the space of four minutes. our fa ns in the space of four minutes. our fans did not give the image of unity i want at the club. all over the world and that was hurtful because i feel we have been disrespected and overall, the image we gave from our clu b overall, the image we gave from our club is not what it is and not what i like. that's all for now, victoria, back to you. thank you. good morning. today we're broadcasting our entire programme from a domestic abuse refuge we're not revealing the exact location for obvious reasons. we're here to try and give you an insight into what happens once a woman flees an abusive partner and what life in a refuge is like. we wa nted

we wanted to shine a light on what it's like to live here. for the whole of our programme today, you'll see the number for the national domestic violence helpline — it's in the top for the whole of our programme today, you'll see the number for the national domestic violence helpline — it's in the top corner of your screen, and it's a free phone number — 0808 2000 2117 — it's for women experiencing dom abuse and give help support and information wherever you are in the country — for the whole of our programme today, you'll see the number support and information wherever you are in the country — you can call any time of the day or night. as far as we know, it's the first time any tv or radio programme has presented live from a domestic abuse refuge. this refuge houses a number of women, it's pretty spacious, it's light, there is a shared kitchen area, a big seating area, and this is where the television is, those kids toys in the corner and we should use some of the rooms because the women have given us permission

to film a little later. we are going to film a little later. we are going to talk to women who live here, obviously and if you have lived in a refuge, we want to hear your own experiences, how did it help you turn your life around, if it did? are you someone who is considering leaving your partner for your own safety a nd leaving your partner for your own safety and you are thinking about what it would be like to live in a refuge, let me know. send me an e—mailand it refuge, let me know. send me an e—mail and it goes without saying you do not have to give your name. the moment we are going to speak to or all anonymous. we will be using their real names, we have asked them to cover their faces, we won't use the names of their ex—partners, locations or anything like that, maybe, partly because some of them are risk of further balance from their exes, none have yet gone to their exes, none have yet gone to the police, there have been no convictions and it goes without

saying their stories, as you expect our distressing and you might not wa nt our distressing and you might not want young children to watch or here. let me introduce you to holly. good morning. and masarah. thank you both so much for talking to me. i am going to talk to you about your experiences, holly, you fell in love with someone, it was amazing, intense, whirlwind romance, you became pregnant and then do you walked into the house, pregnant and your partner punched you square between the eyes. yes. why do you think he did that? looking back now ican think he did that? looking back now i can see he was jealous, possessive, instead of him just thinking i had gone to the shop that was him thinking i had gone and done something else, maybe went with another man, he is thinking, it wasn't of the normal thinking, that

is what it would have been. as well as punching you what else did he do? kicked me, ranked me, kind of stamped on the, pulled me through to another room and i was pregnant at the time. how many months? god, i can't recall now, i would have to go back. i was heavily pregnant, i remember protecting my stomach. afterwards he was really apologetic. yes. whilst also making it as though it was my fault, i had to be mindful that he has concerns and worries and i would have to make sure that i didn't do anything to raise those concerns and worries. how did that make you feel? like i had to do better. really? you eventually gave

birth, you went to hospital on your own because to court, he didn't like that sort of thing. when you came back with your baby he said you'd been too long in hospital, you'd taken liberties, for the did he do then? yes. he went on like that and it was only the next day when i'd kind of had enough of him continuously going on about it, i think it was my hormones, i would never have spoken before, ijust said, iwas never have spoken before, ijust said, i was having a baby not a party and at that point he threw me down the stairs. what happened to you? he stamped on me. and continued to attack me. that meant you had to effectively stay in bed for the next couple of weeks. you had a newborn

baby. yes. and a friend had to come and bring the baby to you so you could carry on breast—feeding. yes. what was that like? difficult, it was the bonding process, feeling com pletely was the bonding process, feeling completely helpless, and missing really important parts of my new child's life. eventually you left, you went to stay with a friend, eventually. yes. and he found you and you did contact the police and they said, he is the father of the child, it's a civil matter, there is nothing we can do. so you went back home. yes, i felt very helpless, i also felt that i was putting my friends in danger and i didn't feel like there was any help out there at

that time so rather than getting anybody else i thought the best thing was to go back. what kind of reception did you get? it was... very bad. extremely bad. i got quite a bad beating for that, and was reminded that i was owned and not to try anything like that again. he said he own view. what did you think about that? i felt it was true at the time. you called the national domestic violence helpline because your neighbour gave you the number at secretly. and i want you to describe to the audience how you found the strength to leave. well, at the time, wasn't finding strength because i was scared out of my wits.

you know, at that point when you are in the middle of that situation, they are almost bigger than life itself, they see and hear all and you honestly truly elite that. even if they don't see it they will know. but i think it's to do with my children, finding that kind of inner strength to try at least to get out of the situation. and for what did you leave your home with? with the clothes on our back, honestly. when you arrived at the refuge for what did that make you feel like?” you arrived at the refuge for what did that make you feel like? i was scared. at the start i didn't, i thought he will be here any minute to drag me out. you thought he would find you. absolutely. i thought i am going to get a really bad, a really

bad at this and it took me a long, long time, every time i would go todayis long time, every time i would go today is the day, i am going to be found. and actually you managed to turn your life around. yes. and you got yourself a job. and the kids got sorted and you got yourself a house. yes. and then somehow he found you again even though you were in a different pa rt even though you were in a different part of the country. yes. which meant you had to flee again. yes, leave our whole life. at the time there was the feeling of how could i have been so silly. this is when you arrived at this refuge, having uprooted your lives and the lives of your children again. your son is too

old to be in this refuge because it doesn't accept teenage boys after the age of 13. what does that mean for you? it means it's a massive decision to even come to the refuge. it is... there's so many factors to think about, how he's a victim too, and he is not getting the help and support that he needs. so he is somewhere where there is no help and support but for now he is safe but it's not an ideal situation by any means. thank you for sharing some really difficult experiences. i want to play a short film for our audience which really does describe

what domestic abuse can involve. domestic abuse can happen to anyone. it involves controlling, coercive and violent behaviour by a family member, partner, or ex—partner. domestic abuse can be psychological. the perpetrator may belittle you, put you down, isolate you from friends and family, accuse you of flirting or having affairs, want to know where you are all the time, blame you for arguments, and tell you how much they love you after the abuse has happened. the abuser may threaten to hurt or kill you, themselves, or your children. there may harass and follow you, and destroy things that belong to you. the person abusing you may hurt you physically by punching, kicking and slapping. they may make unwanted sexual demands, or force you to have sex when you don't want to. there are some early warning signs of domestic abuse. you may lose your self—esteem and become more critical of yourself, feel stressed or worried all the time, become scared of how your partner

will react to a situation, and feel pressure to change who you are. good morning. we are broadcasting our programme today from a domestic violence refuge. we'vejust been hearing holly's story, i want to bring in masarra now. why are you in this refuge? obviously for a domestic abuse reason. i came seven yea rs before to domestic abuse reason. i came seven years before to this country because my husband's ex—partner lives here and myfamily my husband's ex—partner lives here and my family still lives back home. the picture they showed us, it was different as they are. at the start

i was very happy because i was very positive. i came from a positive family and positive approach. initially, from day one he started psychological abuse to me. what was he saying to you? from the first day he saying to you? from the first day he was saying... here and said she is an orphan girl and it was good to marry an orphan girl. although he was attracted to me he was showing me it wasn't his own choice. we didn't know each other before and we didn't know each other before and we didn't see our families before. didn't know each other before and we didn't see ourfamilies before. 0ur family introduced each other and it was an arranged marriage but not a

forced marriage. you lived with your husband and his big family. how would you say he and they treated you? he always showed me that i was unwarranted and worthless in different ways. it was on a daily basis. still i was very positive and he even didn't come to me because he was with other women, and he had physical relations as well. i didn't know that. he was unfaithful. yes, very unfaithful. every day his mum used to say i didn't ask anything about what happened before, every day she was giving me a justification. his friends... that

he was very strong and correct. i didn't ask anything and i had no doubt about my husband. she was still telling me every second or third day about those things. over yea rs third day about those things. over years this built up. i saw a few pictures which were quite unbearable. his mum said he was very strong and correct, every day. i thought maybe i was wrong and putting myself on a positive side. after that, he didn't even spend money on me, even on my first pregnancy. everything is beautiful for you. everywhere you go you enjoy. he didn't even care those days, i used to wear my

mother—in—law's clothes because i used to work in a charity shop so i needed some clothes. he didn't even give me anything. 0ne needed some clothes. he didn't even give me anything. one day, the first month of my marriage, we went to a shop. it was two or £3 to get a cab in the winter. when i take it he said it seems that you didn't have any luxuries before. then i stopped myself because i didn't want to have those things again. over the years, the criticising and undermining got toa the criticising and undermining got to a point where you thought i can't do this any more. yes, because i had enough of him every day. you don't do this, you don't do that, other ladies go for a job, they do very good stuff, although i was cleaning, iwas... if good stuff, although i was cleaning, i was... if someone came to my house are used to make five or six meals

and cleaning. i had good relations with his family. they all appreciated me so he started getting jealous. maybe he had an inferiority complex. how difficult was it for you to leave and come and live in this refuge? it was difficult, three orfour this refuge? it was difficult, three or four years this refuge? it was difficult, three orfour years before... two or three yea rs i orfour years before... two or three years i was in touch with the domestic abuse agencies. i contacted my health visitor as well. it was very ha rd my health visitor as well. it was very hard for me, it's a very big step. i was thinking i can't, how could i do that? when i left my home last year, from that day i felt strong. before that, if you times i went to domestic abuse agencies. my

case went... they asked me if i want to go toa case went... they asked me if i want to go to a refuge. i said that i wa nted to go to a refuge. i said that i wanted to give him one more chance. it was very hard for me to leave my whole house. i wanted a picture according to that wall, these kind of things. there we re wall, these kind of things. there were so many reasons why wall, these kind of things. there were so many reasons why you would find a reason not to leave, even though you might feel criticised, and the mind, very low self—esteem, beaten as you'd been describing, holly. what about the children, what about their schools, what about the dogs? you had two dogs, that was one of the reasons you were thinking i can't because i've got...|j of the reasons you were thinking i can't because i've got... i did. i

thank god that the helpline gave me the number for the dog's trust which is an amazing charity through foster your pets. for the time that you are in the refuge. they send you pictures, give you updates. somebody watching might think you can't stay just because you've got dogs. why is it such a big issue? people are thinking if this man is beating you and your life is under threat and your kids lives are potentially under threat, why would dogs stop you going? just explained. under threat, why would dogs stop you going? just explained. animal love rs you going? just explained. animal lovers would understand. you know, a dog is an extension of your children. somewhat. you would cry for them if they got sick. they are pa rt of

for them if they got sick. they are part of the family. you can'tjust leave them. describe what life is like here for you. i'm very grateful to be here, i'm very grateful because not such an anxiety. i feel ina because not such an anxiety. i feel in a safe place. i feel very anxious about what my next steps will be and about what my next steps will be and about my son, but i feel grateful that there is this place that could accommodate me to come here, sol don't have to fear for my life every single day. how do you feel about the future, masarra? i'm doing a traineeship in it. i had basic skills of some web development, so i wa nted skills of some web development, so i wanted to do it when i was living with my partner but he wanted me to

work on tills, as an assistant. i saidi work on tills, as an assistant. i said i don't mind to work but there wasn't any childcare for my children, because my little one was very young. he was veryjealous. when i came here i quickly after two months got a traineeship and i'm excited about my future. my faith is very strong now. i'm going to read some messages from people watching and listening around the country. mark says, victoria, i want to say how proud i am of the ladies on your programme. i'm sending lots of love and best wishes to them. this is from bill, can you make clear its not just actual violence but also psychological, emotional and financial abuse that constitutes domestic violence. if you're being controlled and being isolated this

is abuse. another viewer says this will never improve until there are proper prison centres for the perpetrators and safe, long—term support for the victims. a great show to raise awareness of this subject. and other viewers says what kind of a parasite of a man is violent towards the mother of his child? max says i have lived in refuges fearing for the safety of my children and myself, it was scary at first the sta b myself, it was scary at first the stab and other women helped me through and from that i knew i wasn't meant to be a punchbag. it wasn't meant to be a punchbag. it was the only life i knew before because my own father was a physical abuse. you don't know any other life andi abuse. you don't know any other life and i knew i had to be strong. today i know i'm not a weak person any longer. cat on facebook says six yea rs longer. cat on facebook says six years ago i ran from my abusive husband, my children were eight

months and four years old at the time, i lived in a refuge for a couple of months, i have my own flat, the support was beyond amazing and still is, i had assistance for court appearances, they help me with applications and they gave me a safe space. i experienced everything from my ex, stalking, harassment yet i felt safe, without them i would not be where i am today, they provided me with a support group to get better. thank you for those. i have a long e—mail which i really do want to read. and this sunday with a different point of view, it's from rebecca. i'm sure refuges work for many women but for me they were an awful experience. i fled after a which centred around rules and obedience, i came to the refuge and was instructed to be cleaned by 11am, to be in bed by10pm, i had to get permission to stay out and it was asked if i get back after 10pm

was asked if i get back after 10pm was asked if i get back after 10pm was a warning, there was pitching, rumours, lies from other women, or me and a few others it was an extension of the abuse and another hurdle to reach safety. i was living under control just different controllers, i managed to stay and was eventually we housed but i look at my time in the refuge and it was the worst time of my life, the isolation may be feeling of being controlled worse, there was no escape, not even an hour at a friends for a coffee. as for obvious reasons your friends were miles away. from your new life. it was hell. which is also an interesting perspective. 0ne hell. which is also an interesting perspective. one more for now, i'm crying listening to the woman on your programme, i can't lead there are so many your programme, i can't lead there are so many evil people in the world, lots of luck to them all and thank you for your programme for this eye opening issue. so many more m essa g es this eye opening issue. so many more messages like that, people wanting to send their love and strength to you. thank you both very much for

talking to us, we really appreciated and well done. in the next 30 minutes we will talk to a conservative mp about what the government is planning with abstract domestic violence bill which is due to be published this year and about the funding issue because one of the big issues is the government is going to stop women using housing benefit to fund a place in a refuge like this, what does that mean for the future of such refugees? more in the future of such refugees? more in the next 30 minutes and thank you for your own experiences, keep those coming in. time for the latest news. the bbc news headlines this morning. the duchess of cambridge has been admitted to hospital in what kensington palace have described as the ‘early stages of labour‘. the duchess, accompanied by prince william, was taken to the lindo wing of st mary‘s hospital in paddington where her other two children, george and charlotte were also born. the baby prince or princess will be fifth in line to the throne. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell

gave us the latest. she got into the hospital without anybody spotting her, as it was three years ago when she gave birth to princess charlotte, that happened quickly, she was admitted at around six in the morning, it was all over asi six in the morning, it was all over as i recall by about ten o‘clock but we will have to wait and see, the duchess accompanied by the duke of cambridge taken by car from kensington palace at some point this morning. admitted and as we see in nearly stages of labour. three years since princess charlotte was born at the same maternity unit and five yea rs, the same maternity unit and five years, extraordinary the same maternity unit and five yea rs, extraordinary really the same maternity unit and five years, extraordinary really to think that five years since we were all outside this very same hospital waiting for the birth of prince george. a belgian court has found the last surviving suspect in the 2015 paris islamist attacks, — salah abdeslam — guilty of attempted murder. three officers were injured in a shootout as they tried to arrest him in 2016.

abdeslam is still awaiting trial for his alleged part in the november 2015 attacks in paris. downing street has reiterated the government‘s commitment to leaving the customs union after brexit, ahead of a symbolic vote in the commons later this week. last wednesday, the government suffered defeat on the eu withdrawal bill in the house of lords — when peers voted in favour of staying in the customs union. as a result, mps will get a chance to debate the proposal on thursday. that‘s a summary of the latest bbc news. here‘s some sport now with azi farni. mohammed saleem has won the professional footballers association player of the year award, scoring 31 premier league goals this season it the record for a 38 game season. arsene wenger says the lack of unity amongst fans in recent seasons has

been hurtful to the club. the french man who leaves after almost 22 years has faced signs asking him to leave in recent games. the women‘s super league leaders last to the germans wolfsburg in the first leg, man city drawing goalless with lyon. 0nly sullivan said he wanted to give spectators the money back after his first—round in the championship, he lost the first four frames and a63 down before beating stephen maguire 10-7. that's down before beating stephen maguire 10—7. that‘s all the sport. thank you. thank you. good morning, as you may have gathered we are presenting our programme this morning from a domestic violence refuge, were not revealing the location for obvious reasons. if you‘re thinking of leaving an abusive partner — the first thing to do is to ring the 2a—hour national domestic violence helpline — the number is on our screen right

now — it‘s 0808 2000 2a7 and it‘s open 2a hours a day, seven days a week and is run in partnership between women‘s aid and refuge. and then what happens? let the tell you about this room, it‘s a playroom, painted by one of the women who lived here, the kids come here, be kind you, loads and loads of games for the children, toys, you can see it‘s spacious, light, if they kids playroom, it‘s perfect. let me introduce you to judith. this refuge is run by a charity called hestia, they run 29 across the south east of england. lindsay from uk says no more joins

us lindsay from uk says no more joins us to. firstly, people who are considering funding this helpline, what would you say? i would say make the call, it‘s important, you will get to speak to a worker who will ta ke get to speak to a worker who will take you through a plan, a safety plan, find out what your needs are, one of the needs might be coming into this refuge, we are the largest divider of refuges in london, you might be brought into one of our refuges what happens after, to take you through the process, is that you will be met by one of the support workers. met for? in a location, we will bring you into the refuge, you will bring you into the refuge, you will be shown around the refuge, you will be shown around the refuge, you will be shown around the refuge, you will be given some orientation, you know what‘s in the local area, you will be introduced to the other

residents, you will meet with your support worker, you will have a dedicated support worker just for you, who will help to maximise your income and talk and listen. will that refuge be in a totally different part of the country to further the woman is living and needs to escape from? absolutely, in any given day you'd copy helpline and they would go through which area you would feel most comfortable living in and they would be able to link you with a refuge. that means rooting children from school. moving away from friends, relatives and it‘s a massive decision. away from friends, relatives and it's a massive decision. absolutely, we understand and appreciate how difficult that is and in part of that we recognise not only making the decision to leave this difficult at the weeks and months leading up to that decision, in some cases years, one of the reasons we pay attention to that time, friends and family members, colleagues, we have an opportunity to provide support and help and part of that is by

knowing you can access the specialist refuge. 0ne knowing you can access the specialist refuge. one of the things we have been able to create is an app: we have been able to create is an app, free to download, free for friends and family of those in an abusive relationship for individuals themselves. it gives you a of different suggestions, and... i'm sorry to interrupt, the most dangerous time for a woman is when she has left, why, judith, explain? it's she has left, why, judith, explain? it‘s because domestic abuse is about power and control, at that point he is about or she is about to lose that power and control, it‘s around retaining that power and control, you are at... the risk or you are about to leave. when you speak to that helpline worker they will give you some safety advice around how to keep said. rather refuges for men? yes, there are a view in the country, quite difficult to access

because of the demand increasing, we have a men's helpline which is run by the men kind initiative, this app is written for men and women and it's really important for us to get that message across. wilber always bea that message across. wilber always be a bed available for a man or woman who needs it? unfortunately not, i think refuges are under resourced and there aren‘t always beds available. —— will always be a beds available. —— will always be a bed available? a recent survey found 60% of calls had to be refused... that was on one day i think. so... they go back to their x... 0r... potentially yes and what we would always recommend is contacting your local housing department, owing to see and speak to a specialist domestic violence worker, you can find a number through the bright sky

app find a number through the bright sky app and you will be able to look at other housing options such as protection orders or thinking about another refuge space that could become available. judith, broad question, tell us about the work you do in the refuges you run. the sort of work we do is about making a support plan that works around the women, the woman supporting her needs and what she needs. we offer a peer support groups for women, we think that‘s very valuable, it‘s about talking therapy, it‘s about having somebody to talk to you and somebody to listen but i merrily it‘s about making somebody save and moving them on... helping them get their own home. what‘s the longest time someone might live here? tends to be between nine months and two years... understood. you won't take women with boys over the age of 13,

why is that? boys are going through puberty at that time, living in a refuge is about shared living is so it‘s about having to share a bathroom, kitchen and communal living spaces, we do have different types of accommodation, we have shared accommodation, we have self—contained flats in which case then you can be a bit more flexible on the age of the boy. going to talk more about that issue because it was an issue holly raised, she has a teenage son, he can‘t be here, we will talk more about that with politicians in a moment but for the moment, thank you. thank you for all your comments. this viewer says i worked in a women‘s refuge and i saw all sides of abuse from men and women, i witnessed all sides of abuse from men and women, iwitnessed mail children repeatedly abusive towards the mothers because this was learned behaviour, this saddens me. thank you for highlighting these issues,

continued to bring them to the attention of the nation, your programme encourages women to know they are not alone and gives a powerful message. another viewer says my mother was a victim of domestic violence for the majority of my young life, she never had the courage to leave her then current partner, after seven years of hospital visits were bruises, broken arms, and even stab wounds i convinced her to take refuge in my father‘s house, i was a ten—year—old boy, i commend all those women featured on your programme today for finding the strength within themselves and i wish them the best for the future. one call changed my mum‘s life, if you see or suspect domestic abuse happening to someone close to you report it, thank you for covering this, ifjust one victim of domestic violence picks up the phone today it could very well save their life. thank you so much for those. it‘s estimated one in four women and one in six men will

experience domestic abuse, but it‘s thought the majority won‘t end in secretions. an estimated 1.9 million people aged 16 to 59 experienced domestic abuse last year in england and wales. 1.2 million women, 700,000 men. one in four women and one in six men will be affected across their lifetime. less than a quarter of victims contact the police, and those that do will have been assaulted on average 35 times before they phone for help. last year, 1.1 million incidents and crimes related to domestic abuse were recorded by the police. there were 76,000 convictions that same year. on average, 150 people a year are killed as a result of domestic violence. that‘s three people every week. the majority are at the hands of a partner or ex—partner. more than 70% of victims are women. an estimated 60% of referrals to refuges were turned down in 2016—17.

the number of refuges has fallen since 2010, and one survey suggests a further 39% of refuge services could close if the government goes ahead with proposed changes to funding for supported housing. the changes would mean women could no longer pay for their accommodation using housing benefit, a key source of income for the refuges. but there‘s been a 10% increase in the overall number of beds they provide. in 2015, the government announced a £15 million annual fund to support women‘s charities, but data from 8a councils in england shows funding for refuges has dropped from 31.2 million to 23.9 million in the last seven years. so, are more refuges

at risk of closing — despite that extra government funding? we asked a home office government minister tojoin us this morning. but they said no — instead we can speak conservative mp luke graham — and labour mp harriet harman, who was once ministerfor women — and the women‘s aid chief executive. you spoke in parliament recently about your own experience of domestic violence. tell our audience a bit about that and how that informs your view? domestic abuse has come up a few times in my constituency with individual constituents. i‘ve seen the impact it‘s had on people and also there have been some family experiences as well. i‘ve seen second—hand the impact it can have

physically and mentally and that i‘d been very lucky to have some inspiring role models to see how they can handle it in the long term and show their strength and determination to make sure it doesn‘t ruin their lives. are you 100% satisfied with how the government is approaching this? what i see through the strength of my constituents and family members who have experienced domestic abuse is what they needed more than anything was someone there, an opportunity to correct a wrong, someone opportunity to correct a wrong, someone to help them so that not all the world is against them. i think refuges a re the world is against them. i think refuges are a very the world is against them. i think refuges are a very important part of that and that‘s why i support them in parliament and why i think the consultation is so important that we look at not only how we deliver that refuge service across the uk but also look at the funding. mrs may has announced extra money to go into services but more than three

quarters of local authorities with responsibility for providing refuges have cut their funding by at least £7 million since 2010. the treasury has ring fenced some of the money but in terms of how it‘s delivered i think this is almost the downside of devolving it to individual local authorities. i think through the consultation what we need to establish is of course we need a difference because people in birmingham have the difference from people in london but there is a minimum standard across the uk that we need to make sure. so that you can still get the same standard and and safety. refuges are going to be funded in future not by housing benefit from the individual woman who can use it to pay for a place, they are going to be funded from grants. those grants will also have

to pay for other housing demands. elderly people, homeless people, people with mental health problems which will hit refuges. that's the proposal. why is it even a proposal? governments are trying to look at... it's governments are trying to look at... it‘s not ring fenced for refuges. going back to the point ijust made, it‘s important but working with third sector groups we should establish a minimum standard across the country. local authorities are clear about the standards they need to deliver. do you not worry about the closure of refuges in the future if the proposal goes ahead? absolutely, that‘s why i‘m here today. you want the government to drop the proposals?” today. you want the government to drop the proposals? i think the proposal is logical but we need to make sure we have these minimum standards so every local authority is clear about the service they should provide. harriet harman, does

the proposal makes sense to you? no. we've got a domestic violence bill that the government is bringing forward. across parties there is now a recognition that domestic violence is terrible and it needs government action. that's very positive and they are bringing forward a bill into parliament which is positive. i think what we need to do in that bill is for ever end the hand to mouth instability funding for domestic violence refuges which has gone on and are all different governments. it's particularly acute now. what i'm suggesting and hoping we can get cross—party support for is that there should be a in law set aside for funding, a percentage of gross national income set aside for funding refuges so that they know they don't have to depend on money for housing local authorities... you could have done that in the last labour government. we should have done. even though there was more money going into the system, there

was still uncertainty. it will still year—on—year funding, hand to mouth. just as we put into legislation for international development, we said we are going to leave a pot of money just for international development, we should do the same for domestic violence refuges. what is labour promising? wit have to work out the figure but the main thing is to get the principal agreed that it shouldn't be hand to mouth, there shouldn't be hand to mouth, there should be a pot set aside so that refuges don't have to turn people away because domestic violence costs lives. ed davey from the lbw democrats has said this —— from the liberal democrats. b—day refuges, be their things like legal aid, and that funding has to be stable so people can plan. it‘s not just protecting the

be stable so people can plan. it‘s notjust protecting the existing services, you‘ve got to build more. this problem is too deep and too great. if they are going to get on top of it, we‘ve got to put our money where our mouth is. let‘s bring in our guest, chief executive of women aid. are you saying refuges could potentially close if the government goes ahead with this proposal to stop women using housing benefit to pay for places in refuges? yes. they are already lurching from funding crisis to funding crisis. if a mixture of reasons, in some areas bad decisions coupled with cuts to local authority budgets. we are really worried that what has to be treated as a national network, because over two thirds of women escaping an abusive relationship have to go out of their local community in order to be safe, which is why we are really worried about this proposal to make it an entirely local problem, when refuges have to operate has a national

network. so that we all know every survivor of domestic abuse has the help they need. the government says they have given £20 million for domestic abuse services like refuges and have increased the number of beds by 10% since 2010. the government says they are committed to developing a sustainable funding model for refuges. the emergency cash has made a difference. in some places some refuges have been able to keep their doors open for a bit longer. that is no replacement for a long—term sustainable solution. it‘s fantastic to be here with politicians putting forward suggestions. at women aid we are working to come up with a practical alternative that would mean wherever you are in the country it‘s not a lottery, but that everyone in and every survivor gets the support they need. your organisation estimates 60% of referrals to refuges were turned down last year. what happens to those people? it is horrendous.

demand outstrips supply already. some women go back to an abusive relationship and suffer further harm and abuse. i know of women who sleep rough, i know pregnant women who had slept on the streets, some sofa surfer with friends or family. it is a horrendous situation to think of any survivor not having a helping hand that they need in a time of crisis. should women be granted the same status as sexual abuse victims or people who have been trafficked, guaranteed anonymity and the opportunity to give evidence behind screens? absolutely. they are looking at how best to deliver evidence in court cases and looking to criminalise economic coercion. i think that is very important. we clearly know this issue disproportionately impacts women. in 2015-16 disproportionately impacts women. in

2015—16 there were 2 million instances of domestic abuse. there we re instances of domestic abuse. there were also 700,000 men and a lot of young people as well. we need to focus on women but also young people and making sure we get men and people in the lgbt community who are disproportionately impacted. should there be a specific criminal offence of domestic abuse? would that help, with that focus police officers‘ minds? it might help and i do give the government credit for the fact they are bringing forward a domestic violence bill so that we can actually look at all the powers that are needed. i think the main problem is the funding. this bill, which is very welcome, needs to once and for all sort out the problems katie has talked about. emergency funding to plug a talked about. emergency funding to plus a gap talked about. emergency funding to plug a gap is no way to fund what should be a service which should have stability. it‘s a drop in the ocean compared to the overall amount

of government funding but it does cost lives. last year 1.1 million incidents and crimes related to domestic abuse were reported to police. in the same year there were 76,000 convictions, huge disparity. what can you do about that? we are looking at enforcing short—term sentences. the government is proposing to tighten them to make sure if people have experienced domestic abuse they get off the streets and get into a safe place and be free of the fear someone will be knocking on their door within weeks of the conviction taking place. thank you very much for coming on the programme. thank you for your messages as well. we are getting them from all around the

country. let me read some more. one call changed my mum‘s life. if you suspect domestic abuse happening please report it. that‘s the message from quite a lot of people, although it can be harder than simply picking up it can be harder than simply picking upa it can be harder than simply picking up a phone. in the next hour of the programme we will be showing you more. he was on bbc two are leaving us, we will continue broadcasting on the bbc news channel. hgppy happy st george‘s day. we‘ve got some lovely pictures sent in this morning. we‘ve also got a bit more cloud in cumbria. today what you‘ll find is it‘s going to be breezy in the west. as we go through this week

it‘s going to be cooler and fresher. there will be sunny spells and blustery showers. pretty windy in western areas today. breezy further east and further east we have the dry and brighter conditions with proud building through the day. we‘ve got this weather front bringing in some rain across northern ireland, scotland, north—west england and north—west wales. temperatures are roughly where they should be today but we are looking at a high of 17 degrees in london. through the evening and overnight that weather front moves east. we‘ve got a tailback of cloud behind it across the isles of scilly. rain across southern counties by the end of the night and showers which could be heavy across the west of the country. not particularly cold overnight with temperatures generally holding up. starting off tomorrow with a cloudy note in the south but many others seeing dry and bright weather with showers in northern ireland,

scotla nd showers in northern ireland, scotland and northern england. remember that tale? it‘s going to be producing some rain across the isles of scilly into wales, the midlands, east anglia and possibly as far north as yorkshire. temperatures by then 11—15. north as yorkshire. temperatures by then 11-15. a north as yorkshire. temperatures by then 11—15. a lot of dry and sunny weather to start the day. lots of showers coming in from the west. some of those heavy and boundary with hail and temperatures again where they should be at this stage in april. hello, it‘s monday 23 april, it‘s 10 o‘clock, i‘m victoria derbyshire. this morning we‘re live in a domestic violence refuge for women who‘ve fled their abusive partners. account described countless times that i tried to get us out.” account described countless times that i tried to get us out. i can't count the times i was disappointed

that i couldn‘t. count the times i was disappointed that i couldn't. my kids stopped me, thinking of my kids, being on your own without me, stop me. he beat me, for it six weeks i had his boot mark embedded in my arm, his fingers in my back. he kicked me, dragged me, kind of stamped on me, pulled me through to another room and i was pregnant at the time. if anyone out there has gone through something similar for i've gone through, you know, you need to find the courage and get away from anything that's as unhealthy. i knew here i was able to make the changes are needed, find the information i needed to help me and my children. the refuge made us and my children. the refuge made us a family again. we‘ve already heard from some of the women living

here and staff and in the next hour we‘ll be showing you round this centre and speaking about how it‘s possible to rebuild your life — as always — really keen to hear your experiences of living in a refuge too. so many courageous women have spoken to us this morning, who have suffered all types of abuse, some of them leaving their homes with just their children and the clothes on their children and the clothes on their backs. if you are considering leaving your home or you have already left, please do get in touch. here‘s carrie gracie in the bbc newsroom with a summary of today‘s news. the headlines this morning... the duchess of cambridge has been admitted to hospital after going into labour with her third child. the duchess, accompanied by prince william, was taken to the lindo wing of st mary‘s hospital in paddington where her other two children,

george and charlotte were also born. the baby prince or princess will be fifth in line to the throne. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph is at the hospital. what do we know? not an awful lot at the moment, to be honest. we have that short statement from kensington palace which came through earlier saying the duchess had been brought to st mary is hospital here in paddington this morning. she was in the early stages of labour, she came by car with the duke of cambridge and she is currently in labour awaiting the birth of her third child at the hospital. we won‘t hear anything else until we get the announcement of the birth of the baby from kensington palace. based on what has happened and previous occasions, she does not previously tend to have long labours princess charlotte was born quickly, in and out of a hospital in a few hours,

the couple with their new baby out by 6pm. look at previous experiences as you tend to do you would think of is perhaps wouldn‘t take too long but i say that with caution, you never know but we await further news with kensington palace.” never know but we await further news with kensington palace. i know you will keep us posted. the last surviving suspect in the 2015 paris islamist attacks has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of attempted murder in a separate incident. three officers were injured in a shootout as they tried to arrest salah abdeslam in 2016, four months after the paris attacks. abdeslam is still awaiting trial for his alleged part in the november 2015 attacks in paris, in which 130 people were killed. downing street has reiterated the government‘s commitment to leaving the customs union after brexit, ahead of a symbolic vote in the commons later this week. last wednesday, the government suffered defeat on the eu withdrawal bill in the house of lords — when peers voted in favour of staying in the customs union.

as a result, mps will get a chance to debate the proposal on thursday. that‘s a summary of the latest bbc news — more at 10.30. let‘s get the sport news now with azi farni. thank you. mohammed salah has won the professional footballers association player of the year award, the egyptian international beating harry kane and david silva amongst others in the boat by his fellow players. he‘s scored 31 goals in the premier league equalling the record for a 38 game season. fran kirby won the women‘s player of the year award scoring 22 goals in all competitions and she was one of five players from unbeaten women‘s super league leaders chelsea to be short listed. her award came hours after chelsea‘s defeat to wartburg in the

first leg of the champions league semifinal. the blues got off to the perfect start, downhill from there, a66 perfect start, downhill from there, a 66 minute volley making it 3—1 to put wolfsburg in the driving seat ahead of the return lake in germany. manchester city have karen barnsley to thank for this last gasp said. the first match and 28 that man city have failed to win, the return leg in france on sunday. former arsenal by his chairman david dean says arsene wenger will go down in history as the greatest arsenal manager ever. the french man announced last week he was stepping down at the end of the season after almost 22 years in charge. some fans have turned on him in recent years holding up placards at recent matters, his team starting the very well in the perfect way winning a—1 against west ham. the last two goals

scored in the space of four minutes. for one man to stay in the job in modelling with all its quite exceptional, quite extraordinary. just got to hope that the new guy coming in will be able to certainly inherit the values for the club which have been quite extraordinary. and he‘s got to be successful, the only advice i can give him is yet the winning team. everything flows from there, it‘s quite simple. that‘s all that sport for now. thank you. good morning. this morning we‘re broadcasting live from a refuge for women who‘ve fled violent and abusive partners. for obvious reasons we are not revealing the locations, some of the women here are still at risk from their ex—abusive partners. we are here to try and give you an insight into what it‘s like living in these

shared homes. this is a shared space, for women and children, it‘s a real communal area and there is a really lovely fibre, if i can put it like that about this place, to be honest. we are going to talk more in the next hour to various women who live here and they are going to show us live here and they are going to show us the rooms, they have agreed to do that, obviously goes without saying the nature of some of our conversations this morning are upsetting and you might not want children to watch or here. it‘s estimated that on average, a woman will leave an abusive relationship seven times before she actually leaves her partnerfor good. that‘s from the national domestic violence hotline. that‘s from the national domestic violence hotline. many women keep their abuse secret for years — and the importance of the first person they tell cannot be underestimated.

in this film, two women tell us their story about summoning up the courage to tell someone. what they say has never been through a formal investigation process. i remember thinking... 0h, maybe my kids are better without me. maybe if i took the tablets, the girls would go to their dad, to get away from him, and... just, i don‘t, my kids stopped me, obviously thinking about my kids being on their own, without me, stopped me. i felt so guilty that i brought my kids into this situation. they did not deserve this. and now i look back, neither did i. i remember i wasn't going

to be silent no more. i needed to help me and my kids get out. i needed to be stronger. and it took everything in me to make that call. i only think somebody who knows what it's like to be there understands what i'm saying. it was the hardest call i ever had to make. he took all my confidence away. i was a wreck. i panicked if i had to go out, because the way he would say, "oh, you can‘t go out because this will happen to you or that will happen to you," so i basically

became a prisoner in my own home. because i was too scared to go out. i was on holiday with my mum in spain, she‘d paid for a surprise holiday, and i sat and told this stranger my life with my partner and he said, "you‘ve got to leave him." and i looked at my mum and said, "i‘m going to leave him, mum, i‘m going to do it." i called the police and i told them he'd hit me. police turned up. i remember hearing my kids cry. i remember getting off the plane with my mum and going towards the taxi and saying, "i don‘t want to go home." and she took my hand and she said to me, "claire, if you don‘t do it now, you never will, and then you can go

back to being the claire that we love, the claire that you should be, and live the life that you should be living." i decided that day that i can't do this any more. i've got to do something. i must do something. i can't describe the countless times that i tried to get us out. i can't count the times that i was disappointed that i couldn't. just how he messed with my head so much that i was just scared, so scared to go out on my own. or, if i was going shopping, he would have to come with me, but it was just... going out that front door and being on my own, and the sweats that would come. it was just, it was horrendous,

it was just like four walls that became my home. you've got to remember he took me away from everyone. and he made people believe that he was the innocent one, that i'd done him wrong. how? i never lifted a finger to him. he drove me away, after destroying me first. the refuge helped me recognise that i could be more. this wasn't the end of me, but the beginning of me. it really hurt in some aspects to think that i had no—one to help me.

but i had me, and i had the strength to carry on. i felt like every day i got stronger. every day i found a new strength within me to recognise what i was, and who i am, and who i'm going to be. i was in the refuge for ten weeks, and then i got the phone call. i found out that i‘d got my forever home. and it was scary, leaving somewhere that was safe, be on my own, without the control, without any pressure was an amazing feeling, although scary, but amazing at the same time. i knew that here i was able to make the changes i needed, find the information i needed

to help me and my children. the refuge made us a family again. i really do love helping people, and... just being there for people that have gone through it, that are really down, that are too scared to go out the house. when you see them change from a caterpillar to this beautiful butterfly... to see them grow is just amazing. i'm a trainee counsellor now at the refuge. because i understand that women in there need more support, emotionally and mentally. i don't know... some days i look back and i think, "i made it." you know?

but i can say, this is really, really me. someone i've always aspired to be, but it's me. i want to inspire women, you know? let them know that they can make it, and when we do hit rock bottom, the only way is up. but it's our way. that was priscilla and claire‘s story. let me read some more messages from you. as usual your programme is tackling vital issues. another viewer says i‘m ten years out of a relationship but i still get reviews andi relationship but i still get reviews

and i reported it many times. we are going to speak to a former chief superintendent in a moment about that. another viewers as i can‘t thank you enough, i‘m 11 years out ofan thank you enough, i‘m 11 years out of an abusive relationship and now living a perfect life. another viewer, good to see your publicising the help number. 1.9 million people affected last year, there is help out there. there are many more and i will try and read as many as i can in the next a5 minutes that we have left. in the kitchen of this refuge... with us now isjohn sutherland who recently retired after 25 years with the met police, and zoe billingham who inspects police forces and how they handle domestic abuse, on behalf of her majesty‘s inspectorate of constabulary. thank you forjoining us. this is an issue that comes up again and again. my partner is being abusive, i‘ve contacted the police and they

say it‘s a civil matter, they say he‘s the father of the children what do you expect? is that fair?” joined the met over 25 years ago and it would probably have been fairbairn. i think significantly domestic violence was still regarded asa domestic violence was still regarded as a private matter. i think a lot of police officers would have regarded it as "grief". 0ver of police officers would have regarded it as "grief". over the course of the 25 years i was a police officer, i think that changed fundamentally. i would say the most profound duty that a police officer has is to save a life. the greatest sadness you can ever encounter in a policing career is to get there too late. for me, domestic violence and dealing with domestic violence is about saving people‘s lives. it doesn‘t get more important than

that. you're right, police forces in england and wales have made tremendous progress in the way they treat alleged victims. but getting people to trust the police is an issue, how do you do that? you're absolutely right and it‘s notjust in relation to domestic violence. that‘s a challenge for policing. you can only build trust over time, you can only build trust over time, you can only build trust over time, you can only build trust by proving you are serious about the subject you are serious about the subject you are dealing with. you can only build trust at an interpersonal level, if you are a survival and i am the officer investigating it is for me to build a relationship of trust with you and demonstrate to you that i‘m really serious about what‘s affecting you. you recently inspected police forces and their approach to domestic violence, what did you find? this whole issue of trusting the police officer that

attends is vital. there are a number of ways that police can use their powers correctly. what is vitally important is that the police do the basics right, they turn up for 999 calls. we know that a woman might have been abused 35 times before they pick up the phone so it's vital they pick up the phone so it's vital the police turn up. what victims have told us is it's so important that they listen to the victim. don't necessarily listen to the perpetrator. we've seen instances where the police officer has paid more attention to the perpetrator who is calm, maybe a respectable person, perhaps the woman is terrified and isn't as coherent as she would like to be. we say it's vital that police listen to the victim. and take the appropriate steps to keep them safe. if the perpetrator is there and he's committed a serious crime, he should

be arrested. then there should be proper investigations. the basic things need to be put in place. and hmrc report in 201a condemned some forces for treating domestic abuse ofa forces for treating domestic abuse of a poor relation to other police activity and concluded eight out of a3 forces responded well. for example in the west midlands officers were overheard calling a victim an "f———— slack". is still a problem? we will go back and continue to investigate until the police response is where we want it to be. not training where people just look at a video or do an online programme but actually police forces inviting survivors of domestic abuse into the forced to talk to police face—to—face about what a good

response from the police looks like. it's that type of immersive learning thatis it's that type of immersive learning that is so important for the police and we seem real changes in attitudes, people no longer seeing the call for domestic abuse being the call for domestic abuse being the last thing they want to do but people policing understanding that first contact is vital, if the victim is going to continue to support police action then that trust, that that understanding. the human touch, the empathy, other things we want to see the police demonstrate. on average, two women are killed every week. two women are killed every week by an abusive partner or an abusive ex—partner. correct me if i‘m wrong, it feels like that is barely mentioned. in our national conversation. we were talking before we came on air and we

used the phrase national shame.” agree and we should be talking about this all the time. my view is that domestic violence is terrorism on an epic scale, it‘s a disease of pandemic proportions. it‘s the single greatest cause of harming society. we need to be taking it as seriously as we can. thank you very much. john sutherland, former chief superintendent and zoe billing. —— zoe billingham. we are going upstairs into one of the rooms where one of the women and her young children live. we are going to take you from the kitchen, down the hallway, up the stairs. i wa nt to down the hallway, up the stairs. i want to show you some of the artwork around. that was painted by one of

the women who lives here. thank you so much. i want to ask you what your image was of a refuge before you actually came here. to be honest i was really afraid to come toa honest i was really afraid to come to a refuge. i thought it would be full of drug addicts, alcoholics, people with anti—social behaviour. it wasn‘t the environment i wanted my children to come to but i had no choice. when i spoke to a helpline they told me i had a few hours to bring myself and my children here. just a few hours? yes. let's keep going. mind the door! we are a bit

caught in the door at the moment, we‘ll get there. sorry. that‘s obviously an entry phone. when the buzzer is wronged, it illuminates and you can see who is at the door. that shows the front door and obviously cctv cameras will show who‘s there. do you feel safe here? ido who‘s there. do you feel safe here? i do feel safe, especially with the camera phone. this is a shared bathroom and we are nearly in your room. when i first came here, i was quite pleased to see it was just normal women like me. this is my room with my two children. i‘ve had to put the two beds together so that we can sleep comfortably. we‘ve got all our belongings up here. i‘ve been here a year, so i‘ve collected

a lot of things to take away with me when we get housed. when they told you it was a bunk bed what did you think? i cried. i was you it was a bunk bed what did you think? i cried. iwas really you it was a bunk bed what did you think? i cried. i was really upset. i was coming from a four—bedroom house. my children have their own beds and my own bed. to have to move into one room, i was really upset. but when i came here i turned it into something positive where i could spend time with my children and rebuilt. it was quite a long time where i was disconnecting from children, i was worrying too much. being here, we things together. i‘ve made it as homely as i can. 0bviously you‘ve got your own fridge, your own washing area. we've got cutlery up here. thank you for tidying but you‘ve kindly said we can look in the wardrobe, is that 0k? effectively in this wardrobe and on that bunk bed is all your worldly

possessions. all our clothes, pots and pans, everything. everything packed neatly into bags, as you wait to be housed. you‘re waiting for your own home. it was supposed to be six months but we‘ve been here a year. how do you feel about that? what‘s the delay? year. how do you feel about that? what's the delay? the delay is housing and they‘ve said that i‘ve made myself intentionally homeless. because you left? because i left my home, living with my husband. but my name was actually on my mother‘s house. so they say you could have lived there. let‘s not go into too much detail about that just lived there. let‘s not go into too much detail about thatjust in case. why did you leave? i was living with my husband and his family. they come

from a very traditional background whereas i‘m not from that. when we got married it was a big culture shock for me and having to keep up with their demands and my husband‘s as well. living with the whole family? yes. what demands were made on you? i believe my husband has narcissistic traits. he used to try to keep me, try to control the way i think about myself, the things i do, i need to be there for the family, for him, food needs to be ready for him, the house needs to be spotless. even with small children it was demands that the too much for me to keep up with. because of his narcissistic tendencies i lost com plete narcissistic tendencies i lost complete confidence and he made me feel so low as a woman. it got too

much for me and i thought i need to leave. there was also physical domestic violence at some points. i was made to feel like it was my fault. i doubted myself a lot. i had left before, and gone back. now it is for good and my children are bossing me from it as well. which is brilliant to hear. how big a decision was it, given your background, to leave? it was really difficult. because of the way people think of a refuge, they think how i thought of it as full of druggies. the staff are amazing, we have made great friends. it was really hard for me but the support from the staff is like a family. have you made friends? i've made great

friends for life. some of them have moved on and been housed in different parts of the country, or even out of this country. it‘s really lovely. what is your ambition to you and your children‘s future? right now my ambition is to get them into school, i am focused on trying to get them settled and from that, once i know they are settled i can build on myself and hopefully go back to work, maybe start a little business with some friends, you know. you used to work for the nhs? yes, idid. do know. you used to work for the nhs? yes, i did. do your children see your ex—husband, do they miss him? they miss him, they don‘t see him, no, they don‘t, i‘ve allowed them to have a few face times here and

there... that you‘ve had to keep this location... of course. i allow them to face time, at times i have felt wea k them to face time, at times i have felt weak because the children are missing him so much but when i look at it from an outside i feel it‘s better for them that way. i know they‘ll be upset about it for a while but they will grow up and this will be the norm for them. yes. this is the norm for them and they love it. thank you very much. thank you so it. thank you very much. thank you so much and for showing us into your room, we really appreciated. thank you. we are going to top more in the next 30 minutes to a woman who was brought here as a ten—year—old and asa brought here as a ten—year—old and as a 20—year—old ended up going into as a 20—year—old ended up going into a refuge herself with her own children. before that, it‘s the news with carrie gracie. the duchess of cambridge has been admitted to hospital after going into labour with her third child. the duchess, accompanied

by prince william, was taken to the lindo wing of st mary‘s hospital in paddington where her other two children, george and charlotte were also born. the baby prince or princess will be fifth in line to the throne. the last surviving suspect in the 2015 paris islamist attacks has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of attempted murder in a separate incident. three officers were injured in a shootout as they tried to arrest salah abdeslam in 2016, four months after the paris attacks. abdeslam is still awaiting trial for his alleged part in the november 2015 attacks in paris, in which 130 people were killed. downing street has reiterated the government‘s commitment to leaving the customs union after brexit, ahead of a symbolic vote in the commons later this week. last wednesday, the government suffered defeat on the eu withdrawal bill in the house of lords — when peers voted in favour of staying in the customs union. as a result, mps will get a chance to debate the proposal on thursday. the founder of the website money saving expert dot com is taking facebook to court

over claims the site published fake adverts bearing his name, some of which were used to scam people. a facebook spokesperson said the site didn‘t allow misleading adverts. but martin lewis wants the social media giant to change the way it operates — saying his reputation has been damaged. prince harry and his fiancee meghan markle are to attend a memorial service later to celebrate the life of the murdered teenager stephen lawrence. the service, which marks 25 years since the murder, is being held at the central london church of st martin—in—the—fields. stephen was fatally stabbed in a racially motivated attack in eltham, south—east london, in 1993. that‘s a summary of the latest bbc news. here‘s the sport now with azi farni. thank you. mohammed saleem said he had a point to prove in english

football after winning the pfa player of the year award, the egyptian international had an u nsuccessful stint egyptian international had an unsuccessful stint at chelsea previously but the season has scored a1 goals for liverpool in all competitions. former arsenal vice—chairman david deal says arsene wenger will go down in history as the greatest arsenal manager ever. the frenchman won three premier league titles and seven fa cups since being appointed in 96. he will leave at the end of the season. chelsea have it all to do in the champions league semifinal against wolfsburg, the women‘s super league leaders wolfsburg, the women‘s super league lea d e rs lost wolfsburg, the women‘s super league leaders lost 3—1 at home to the germans in the first laid, man city drawing goalless with lyon. ronnie 0‘sullivan said he wanted to give spectators the money back after his first performance at the world snooker championship. he finally beat stephen maguire10—7, masters champion mike allen is in action

live now on bbc two. victoria, back to you. —— mark allen. this room as you can see is called pluto, it‘s a self—contained flat in this building, thank you so much or all of your messages. this from one of your pieces they are currently in a domestic violence refuge, i had been bullied and abuse by my own family because of my mental health issues, particularly my brother and sister. marion says i‘m so pleased you are showing this programme today, i was manipulated, abused and mentally tormented years ago, i had a baby daughter at the time and we fled to a refuge in wandsworth in london, i was grateful with a safe haven but that was not easy to adjust the conditions there, i had a nervous breakdown around that time. this from helen, iwas breakdown around that time. this from helen, i was woken at 2am this morning but my daughter‘s ex—boyfriend banging on my door and shouting, my daughter doesn‘t live

here but i have to younger kids and i live on my own. apparently he followed her out she ain‘t on a rear night out with her friends, he assaulted her by punching and attacking her and throwing drink over her, she‘s 25, been trying to get rid of him for years, she can‘t go out and do anything, he stalks her, smashes her car, sits outside her, smashes her car, sits outside her work and won‘t go away, she‘s moved three times, changed jobs each time and he finds every time. i‘m going to say helen, please contact the police on behalf of your daughter or as the helen to —— astra daughter or as the helen to —— astra daughter to contact the police. as we say, this is a self—contained flat, accessible for people with disabilities as you can see, smallish kitchen, decent kitchen, actually, this is one of those services that can be raised or lowered depending on the level of

your wheelchair and then back out from this kitchen, we go through a private hallway and into the main bedroom, as you can see, is quite a bit bigger than emmas upstairs. bunk is obviously for children and then a sort of sofa bed here for holly. this is wholly‘s room. there is a door to the garden, it‘s really pleasa nt door to the garden, it‘s really pleasant at the main thing is it is safe. 0f pleasant at the main thing is it is safe. of course. 0k. pleasant at the main thing is it is safe. of course. ok. we are going to hear from two safe. of course. ok. we are going to hearfrom two women safe. of course. ok. we are going to hear from two women who are survivors of domestic abuse about how they have moved on since that time. mum of two emma posted a video in 2015 showing her abuse at the hands of her former partner and that was a video that went viral with over 2 million views. rachel lived through 18 years of domestic abuse.

she was shot and beaten repeatedly over that time before her abuser to his own life. let‘s look at their stories. i got with my perpetrator when i was 21, and ended up having 18 years of domestic abuse and violence with him. it‘s a drip—feed process, a lot of people don‘t understand and say, so if anyone out there has gone through something similar what i've gone through, you know, you need to find the courage and get away from anything that's as unhealthy as violence. go to your friends and family, people who love you and care about you. and talk to them. but especially if you have children. it's not a good environment for your children to be around. no children should see that. emma murphy and rachel williams, many thanks. we are back in the living room of the refuge. with us are holly, massara and emma who we‘ve already earlier in the programme — they‘ve been living here for the last few months. also with us is a woman who we‘re calling alex. she was bought to this refuge

with her mother as a child aged 10 — and as a 20—year—old alex had to escape an abusive abusive partner and went to live in a refuge — we‘re not using their real names. we‘ve also asked them to cover their faces as well. alex, what do you remember about the night you left with your mum to come here when you attend? —— when you attend?” remember there being a threat. my mum‘s life was that threat, there was a knife involved and i remember that night being woken up at night in the middle of the night has a child with my siblings and being taken to a taxi. the taxi drove for a few hours and i remember waking up. we were here at this very

refuge. it was several hours, the journey. did you know what was going on? i didn't have a clue. we were sleeping, so... were you able to bring any toys? we literally had what we had on. we came as we were. in pyjamas? yes. when you got here presumably it was overwhelming. yes. this became your life for a while, then. yes. how was that for your mum? i can't speak about how she felt because i was so young. 0bviously about how she felt because i was so young. obviously you don‘t really discuss those things with a child. as an adult looking back i can imagine for her it must have been really difficult. 0ne imagine for her it must have been really difficult. one of the reasons was my older brother who wasn‘t able

to come and live in the refuge because he was too old and they weren‘t accepting boys at that age. he had to be left with a family member, and so... what impact did that have won him? it had a big impact. he had to stay with a family member, and the relationship with the family member breakdown. he was asked to leave and he was staying at different houses. he didn‘t have any security. at 16, you need some security. at 16, you need some security. from there, he ended up being homeless and got involved in crime, petty crime, drugs. several yea rs crime, petty crime, drugs. several years later, he still hasn‘t recovered from that. that is a real issue. mums with teenage sons who aren‘t able to access refuge is because the boys are going through puberty and that is an issue for women in a refuge, potentially. more

self—contained accommodation needs to be built to accommodate those families. ten years later, as a 20—year—old with your own children you found yourself living in a refuge. why did you leave? mine wasn‘t a decision i made myself. i wasn‘t a decision i made myself. i was in an abusive relationship. 0ne particular time i had to pick up one of my children from nursery and i was a bit late, so my ex—partner met me there and punched me in the face at the nursery. so the staff called social services and social services said if! social services and social services said if i didn‘t leave my partner and my children would be removed from the home. so they gave you an ultimatum? yes. do you think they we re ultimatum? yes. do you think they were right to do that? it's

difficult, because ultimately that helped me to leave the relationship and find somewhere safer to be. they gave me contacts to be in the refuge. but at the same time, you know, i wasn‘t in a stable place. that brought extra stress and the threat of your children is all you‘ve got when you‘re going through that sort of situation. the threat of them being taken away can cause stress as well. they must have thought the children were at risk from your partner, having heard he‘d done that to you outside the nursery. yes. extraordinary. mayi ask what kind of things he used to do to you in the home? so many things happened. it became the norm.

some of the things that still stick in my mind are... he was very jealous and over possessive. for insta nce jealous and over possessive. for instance i was at my mum‘s house at one point on the phone, and to him eve ryo ne one point on the phone, and to him everyone i spoke to was someone you fancied or were trying to have an affair with. i was on the phone to a friend and he came into the room and assumed it was a man. he kicked me in my head, stamped on my face, spat in my head, stamped on my face, spat in myface, in my head, stamped on my face, spat in my face, while my mum was there. another time when my child was a baby, just a few months old, there was an altercation where i was knocked out cold with my child in my hand. you are holding your baby and he knocked you out? yes. with him in my hands. so, it became the norm

because it was so often. he could have killed you. he threatened to kill me several times, he threatened ifi kill me several times, he threatened if i ever leave him to cut my face up if i ever leave him to cut my face up so no if i ever leave him to cut my face up so no one if i ever leave him to cut my face up so no one else would ever want to me. he threatened to kidnap me. there‘s so many things he did. it was... as! there‘s so many things he did. it was... as i said, it became normal. i‘m going to bring in sophie who‘s been watching our programme and listening to all you‘ve been saying. sophie isn‘t her real name. can you hear me? i can hear you, thank you. thank you for talking to us. tell us about your situation briefly. six years ago, i was faced with a decision to either the head by my ex—partner —— to be hit by my

ex—partner —— to be hit by my ex—partner or to run for my life with my two young children. i made the brave decision to run. i met with a friend for lunch and she told me, you go a couple of buildings away from here, there is a refuge. sol away from here, there is a refuge. so i went to the refuge and started talking to them i was extremely afraid. i didn't know anybody would listen to me but they did, thankfully. you got into a refuge? yes. the next day, i had my taxi booked by women's aid. i moved a reasonable distance from the initial place and i was placed in a refuge where i had my own flat for myself

and my two children. how crucial was that for you at that time?” and my two children. how crucial was that for you at that time? i think it was extremely crucial, because i was totally lost. i thought he was going to come after me, because he actually has seen me going away in a taxi. i was pretty sure he might ta ke taxi. i was pretty sure he might take another taxi and run after me, but the taxi driver was told not to disclose my location. and i felt safe. all i did was cry for about 24 hours. ijust let myself cry. thank you so much, sophie succumbing on the programme, i really appreciate it -- the programme, i really appreciate it —— for coming on the programme. i‘m going to bring in alex and the

others. alex, you‘ve really moved on with your life, you have found happiness. i wonder if you might wa nt to happiness. i wonder if you might want to talk to alex about what the future might hold and what your worries are and maybe alex can help you with that. i know certainly myself, my anxieties and worries at the moment are the way systems are changing. 0bviously social housing is really difficult situation at the moment. different councils are bringing in that in order to move from here you have to go to private accommodation. the private accommodation. the private accommodation requires guarantors, references, some of which four ladies like us is not safe to go, it will give you links where you can be found. those are very real fears.

what would you say to holly? in regards to moving in terms of housing, i don't know the ins and outs of what the council will and won't do. but in regards to moving on as won't do. but in regards to moving onasa won't do. but in regards to moving on as a person, once the housing has been found, that is something i can speak and because for me personally i was rehoused by the council after a short time and, you know, being able to be in a new area, in a safer area where people didn't necessarily know me or my situation, it was a help for me to just move know me or my situation, it was a help for me tojust move on. i think in regards to being rehoused, i don't really have much information

about that. that's something the council would have to discuss. what about the process of rebuilding? that‘s something you are all trying to do here which will continue at some point, itjust might take longer than you would ideally want it to. do you feel optimistic about the future? are you anxious you will have the wherewithal, the strength to rebuild with your kids?” have the wherewithal, the strength to rebuild with your kids? i think the help that i've been getting from the help that i've been getting from the staff here has helped me with my confidence. i think the future is quite bright for me. especially how my situation is with my children and once they are in school then i can start work. i've been getting a lot of help from here, so it really helps. so it can be done. i have a

couple of e—mails. 0ne viewer says our lovely mum was a victim of domestic abuse for over a0 years, physical, emotional and sexual abuse. police and the church went interested. it was so bad we had to run away and we had to witness this abuse as children. her husband followed her and the abuse continued. he was eventually sent to prison for attempted murder of my mum and raping his two daughters. its a5 years since this happened. this is not domestic abuse, it is sustained violence that sometimes leads to the murder of the female victim, invariably a mother. another viewer says, victim, invariably a mother. another viewer says, some victim, invariably a mother. another viewer says, some very, very brave women who found the strength to leave. refuges do a really worthwhilejob of leave. refuges do a really worthwhile job of keeping them safe but there aren‘t enough of them. earlier you asked if domestic violence should be a specific crime for the police to take seriously. i

believe it should. thank you very much feel tremendous courage. i want to thank the charity hestia who run this refuge. thank you so much for allowing us to broadcast our programme from one of their refuges today. thank you. good morning. last week will be a distant memory because it‘s going to turn back to what it should be doing for april. we‘ve had a few photos this morning. most of them have been quite cloudy like this one in cornwall. lots of cloud generally in the uk at the moment and we are seeing a few showers across scotland. in western scotland though showers are merging to bring more persistent areas of rain. there could be a few moving into wales and north—west england later in the day. elsewhere a few bright spells breaking through. 11—1adc in the

north and may reach 17 in the south—east. 0vernight a few showers with some clear spells. the northern half of the uk, temperatures in single figures. further south i think we‘ll keep those temperatures up think we‘ll keep those temperatures up in double digits. much cooler that this week. temperatures about the average for the time of year. a mixture of sunny spells and april showers. goodbye. insisting on the this is bbc news and these are the top stories developing at 11. the duchess of cambridge is admitted to hospital — kensington palace says she‘s in the ‘early stages of labour‘. during may and a few hundred other

members of the breast outside the hospital as we wait for the birth of the new prince or princess who will be fifth in line for the throne. the government insists it will leave the eu‘s custom union after brexit — ahead of a symbolic vote on the issue this week. facebook is taken to court by consumer campaigner martin lewis — he claims they published scam adverts bearing his name. the last surviving suspect in the 2015 paris islamist attacks is jailed for 20 years — after being found guilty of attempted murder in a separate incident. also this hour — a girl‘s best friend.