Plasterer Offers To Fix Homes Of Domestic Abuse Survivors For Free
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A kind plasterer is helping women from abusive relationships redo their homes for free.
Naima Ben-Moussa, from Buxton in Derbyshire, launched an online fundraiser so that she could help women "rebuild" their lives after suffering from domestic abuse.
Having suffered abuse herself as a child, Naima said she "understood" what these women had gone through.
The 36-year-old said: "I've had to try and carry on, and I don't think I would have been able to without my support network around me.
"People are feeling even more isolated during the pandemic, and between us all we need to try and stand together and help each other.
"People are struggling to even afford to live at the moment, let alone fix the damages from relationships that have gone wrong, or have involved violence."
Naima has already raised £500, which has helped renovate a number of rooms for survivors and their children.
The rooms were initially a "mess", but after some help from Naima they were given a new lease of life.
The plasterer was inspired to set up the fundraiser after helping fix the home of a woman who had just left an abusive relationship.
"I walked into her home and saw the mess a man had left her in. For 10 years she had suffered horrific abuse," she said.
Naima said her "heart broke" after one woman detailed her assault, which had lasted for four hours.
"But when she was stood in front of me I saw her strength. In fact, my hair stood on end just being in her company. She is a survivor, a warrior princess," she said.
The money raised from Naima's fundraiser will be put towards renovation materials, and hiring other tradespeople, if needed.
Naima, who runs the Lady In Red Plastering Service, is selflessly giving up two days a week of her time to complete work for free.
It comes as pressures from the coronavirus pandemic have heightened the risk of domestic abuse, with a record number of cases being dealt with by the family courts.
One in five offences - more than a quarter of a million - recorded by police during and immediately after the first national lockdown in England and Wales involved domestic abuse, according to the Office for National Statistics.
While the government has injected some cash into the system, charities argue that facilities still aren't coping with increased demand.
Domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs has since urged the government to ensure the Domestic Abuse Bill - which will become law later this year - includes money to fund community services, claiming they're needed more than ever before.
Topics: Life News, Home, Real, Life, domestic abuse
