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The Home Office has launched the ‘Ask For ANI’ codeword scheme in Boots and participating independent pharmacies in the UK, increasing the opportunities for victims of domestic abuse to seek support.
People experiencing domestic abuse can use the codeword ‘ANI’ (Action Needed Immediately), pronounced ‘Annie’, to let staff know that they need an emergency police response or somewhere to contact a support service or helpline.
UK Says No More has been working alongside the Home Office to create and implement the Ask For Ani scheme, which will work alongside the existing Safe Spaces scheme in Boots and participating independent pharmacies, enabling victims to request emergency help.
Lyndsey Dearlove, Head of Domestic Abuse Prevention at Hestia and Head of UK Says No More, said:
“As lockdown measures continue to have an impact on everyday life, we know it is vital for victims of domestic abuse to continue to have access to specialist support. That is why we have continued to grow our Safe Spaces initiative to nearly 5,000 pharmacies across the UK.
Our foundations with businesses and community pharmacies have enabled us to work alongside the Home Office to provide a long-term commitment to supporting domestic abuse victims.
Although we are in a period of lockdown and isolation, our message to victims is domestic abuse services are open, and we can help you.”
The Safe Spaces and Ask For ANI schemes have been developed in response to a rise in incidents of domestic abuse during lockdown.
Hestia saw a 38 per cent increase in people trying to access its domestic abuse support services in the first six months of lockdown, compared to the same six-month period in 2019, while 40,000 calls were made to the UK’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline during the first three months of lockdown.
Pharmacies looking to adopt the Ask For ANI codeword scheme can find information on how to do so here.
Safe Spaces are available in Boots, Morrisons, Superdrug and Well pharmacies, as well as hundred of independent pharmacies across the UK. You can find more information on the Safe Spaces scheme here.
