The first thing you say matters, and most of us have no idea what it should be
What happened
On 15 October 2026, the Ministry of Justice launched a campaign called Respond. It sits within the government's wider ENOUGH campaign on violence against women and girls. Its focus is unusually specific. Most campaigns about abuse are aimed at victims, telling them where to get help. Respond is aimed at everyone else — the friend, the colleague, the neighbour, the relative who gets told something and does not know what to say. The campaign provides guidance on two things: supportive phrasing, meaning the words that actually help, and warning signs that someone may be at risk. It includes videos and graphics designed for a range of settings, so workplaces, clubs and community groups can use them. There is also a Support Space on the ENOUGH website, which links victims, survivors and the people supporting them to guidance and specialist services. Alex Davies-Jones MP, the Minister for Victims, Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls and International Justice, said the campaign gives people 'the confidence to know how to listen to, believe and support victims.' The government frames all of this against its stated goal of halving violence against women and girls within a decade.
Why this matters
Most people who are being abused do not tell the police first. They tell someone they trust. A sister. A friend at work. A neighbour they chat to at the school gate. That makes ordinary people the front door to every service that comes afterwards. And most of us arrive at that moment with no preparation at all. The instinct is usually to be helpful in the wrong way. We ask questions that sound like doubt: are you sure? why didn't you leave? what did you do to set him off? We offer solutions the person has already considered and rejected for reasons we do not know. We get angry on their behalf, which can be frightening. Or we panic and promise to fix it, then disappear because we cannot. Any of those can close the door. Someone who has worked up the courage to say something out loud once, and been met badly, often does not try again for a long time. The opposite is also true, and it is the point of the campaign. A calm, believing response from one person can be the thing that makes the next step possible. It does not require expertise. It mostly requires not making it worse.
What the evidence actually says
It is worth being clear about what this announcement is and is not. It is a public information campaign with accompanying guidance and a signposting hub. It is not new law, and it does not create any new legal duty on members of the public to report anything. If you are told something, you are not legally obliged to act — though you may well feel you should. The funding figures are commitments rather than new money announced on the day: £550 million over three years for specialist victim and witness services, and dedicated courtrooms in every Crown Court in England and Wales for rape and serious sexual offence cases, to be delivered over two years. Both are stated government plans with timescales attached, which is more than a vague pledge, but delivery over two and three years is not delivery now. The target of halving violence against women and girls within a decade is a political ambition. It is a useful statement of intent and a yardstick to hold the government to. It is not a forecast, and measuring it will be genuinely difficult, partly because better support and better reporting tend to push recorded figures up before they come down. One figure from a related announcement the same day is worth carrying over, because it shows how tangled these issues are: the Ministry of Justice reported that over two thirds of women in prison are victims of domestic abuse.
Qurexa perspective
We will keep this short, because it is not our field and we are not going to pretend otherwise. But there is one honest connection. We deliver medicines and groceries to people's homes, which means our drivers and our pharmacy colleagues see households regularly, often weekly, often when nobody else does. So do postal workers, carers, health visitors, hairdressers and community pharmacists. That is the group this campaign is quietly aimed at. Not professionals in safeguarding roles, but people who turn up in ordinary life and might notice something — or be told something at the door. Community pharmacies in the UK already have a role here. Many take part in schemes that let someone ask for help discreetly at the counter, and pharmacy teams can offer a private space to talk. If you have ever wondered why pharmacies have a consultation room, this is one of the reasons. It is not only for blood pressure checks. For anyone whose job takes them into other people's homes: you are not expected to assess, investigate or intervene. That is not your role and attempting it can make things more dangerous. What you can do is exactly what the campaign describes — listen, believe, do not interrogate, and know where to point someone. Carrying the number for the National Domestic Abuse Helpline in your head is a reasonable thing to do. And if it is you rather than a customer, the same applies. Speak to your GP or your pharmacist if that is easier than speaking to someone at home.
Practical advice
If someone tells you they are being abused, the single most useful thing is to make the conversation safe rather than productive. You do not need to solve it in that moment. What helps: listen more than you talk. Say that you believe them. Say that it is not their fault. Thank them for telling you. Ask what they need from you, rather than deciding. Keep your voice calm even if you are furious. Ask whether it is safe to contact them, and how — a phone may be monitored. What does not help: asking why they have not left; suggesting they must have provoked it; telling them what you would do; demanding they go to the police today; confronting the person who is abusing them; or telling other people without asking first. If you are worried about immediate danger, call 999. If someone cannot speak safely on a 999 call, they can use the Silent Solution: call 999, listen to the operator, then press 55 when prompted, which tells police the call is genuine. For non-emergency support in England, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free and open 24 hours on 0808 2000 247. Men experiencing abuse can contact Men's Advice Line on 0808 801 0327. Galop supports LGBT+ people on 0800 999 5428. Respect runs a line for people worried about their own behaviour on 0808 802 4040. The campaign's own guidance, videos and the Support Space hub are on the ENOUGH campaign website, and the materials are free for workplaces and community groups to use. If you have been told something and you are now carrying it alone, those helplines will talk to supporters too, not only to victims. You are allowed to ring for advice about how to help.
What to know
The Ministry of Justice launched the Respond campaign on 15 October 2026, part of the wider ENOUGH campaign. Unusually, it is aimed at the people who get told about abuse rather than at victims, with guidance on supportive phrasing and warning signs, materials for workplaces and community groups, and a Support Space hub linking people to specialist services. It sits alongside £550 million over three years for specialist victim and witness services and a commitment to a dedicated courtroom for rape and serious sexual offence cases in every Crown Court in England and Wales within two years. Both are plans with timescales, not completed work. The campaign creates no new legal duty on the public. What it offers is preparation for a conversation most people will have at some point and almost nobody rehearses. The short version of the advice: listen, believe them, say it is not their fault, ask what they need rather than deciding, and check whether it is safe to contact them. Call 999 in an emergency, and press 55 if you cannot speak. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247, free and open 24 hours — and it will talk to supporters, not just victims. Sources: Ministry of Justice, 'Victims of abuse to be better supported by their community', 15 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/victims-of-abuse-to-be-better-supported-by-their-community; Ministry of Justice, 'New courts in the north to help women break the cycle of reoffending', 15 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-courts-in-the-north-to-help-women-break-the-cycle-of-reoffending. This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist, specialist support service or other qualified professional. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999.
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