1VAA was created because the UK’s safeguarding system is failing victims at every level. With police dismissals, unsafe family court rulings, and widespread mishandling of evidence, survivors are being harmed by the very institutions meant to protect them. We are the organisation built in the gap between danger and justice — where victims turn when “nothing more can be done.”

Who We Are: One Voice Against Abuse — The Organisation Built Because the System Failed

Domestic abuse destroys lives, but the deeper tragedy is that many victims are not only failed by their abuser, but by the very systems that are supposed to protect them.
For years, survivors, parents, children and families have faced disbelief, dismissal, and devastating rulings that place them in greater danger.

One Voice Against Abuse (1VAA) was formed because these failures were not rare or isolated.
They were, and still are, systemic.

A National Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight

Domestic abuse in the UK is at crisis levels.
The most recent data shows:

3.9 million adults experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024 (ONS).
26% of all adults, around 12.6 million people, have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16.
Over 1.4 million women and 700,000 men experience stalking every year.
Police recorded 1.4 million domestic abuse-related incidents, yet only 6% led to a charge or summons (CPS).
90% of sexually abused children knew the abuser (NSPCC).
Disabled children are 3 times more likely to experience abuse.
1 in 3 children forced into unsafe contact arrangements report fear, distress, or further harm.

The numbers alone are disturbing.
But the lived experience behind them is catastrophic.

“Nobody believed me.” The Words We Hear Every Day

Across thousands of cases, the same patterns repeat:

“The police told me there was nothing they could do.”
“Social services said I was exaggerating.”
“The family court judge told me I was hostile.”
“My child disclosed abuse, but they still ordered contact.”
“They said the perpetrator was respectable and unlikely to do that.”

When victims finally escape an abuser, the system often becomes the second threat.
This is where 1VAA steps in.

Born Out of Failure, Built for Survivors

1VAA began because survivors repeatedly found themselves:

turned away by police
disbelieved by professionals
accused of “parental alienation” for protecting children
punished for reporting abuse
trapped in the family court
told their evidence “didn’t meet threshold”
placed in danger by unsafe contact orders
left unsupported after “no further action” decisions
blamed for the behaviour of their abuser

1VAA does not accept this.

We were created to challenge it.

What Makes 1VAA Different

Unlike many organisations, 1VAA does not simply offer emotional support.
We provide evidence, investigation, strategy, and intervention.

Our team specialises in:

Domestic abuse
Coercive control
DASH risk assessment
Stalking and harassment patterns
Child safeguarding
Evidence analysis
Police escalation
Legal process support
Family court strategy
Reopening failed cases

We work with victims across the UK who have been dismissed, minimised, or endangered by systemic failures.

We know the law.
We know when it hasn’t been applied.
And we challenge it, formally, legally and publicly.

“They said nothing could be done. You proved otherwise.”

One of the most common messages we receive is:

“I came to you because every agency failed me. You were the only ones who listened, the only ones who took action.”

Victims do not fail because they’re weak.
Victims fail because the system withholds knowledge.

1VAA gives it back.

Protecting Children When Agencies Won’t

One of the most dangerous failures in the UK today is the handling of child safeguarding.

Recent reports show:

Up to 70% of allegations made by children in family proceedings are not investigated properly.
Over half of children expressing fear of a parent are still ordered into contact (Cafcass interview studies).
Many social workers receive little or no training in coercive control or stalking, yet are making life-changing recommendations.

This is why 1VAA exists.

We help protective parents present evidence.
We challenge flawed assessments.
We expose unsafe decisions.
We stop dangerous contact.
We intervene where professionals fail.