Teesside domestic abuse support charities on hand to help during World Cup
Charities say football matches could amplify abuse in homes
Domestic abuse support services in Teesside say they're on hand to offer help during the World Cup and in the weeks after the tournament's finished.
The big sporting event is officially underway and charities say football matches could amplify abuse in homes.
Sarah Charlton is from EVA Women's Aid in Redcar and she said: "Using football does not cause domestic abuse. Perpetrators cause domestic abuse. It's always a choice.
"We don't actually have extra staff during major sporting events, but football in particular for some reason seems to, I mean there's loads and loads of research out there that shows calls to the police etc regarding domestic abuse rises during football events.
"I think one of the issues is that very often with football comes alcohol and while alcohol is not a cause of domestic abuse, it is a disinhibitor so it can make existing abuse escalate or abuse can be experienced for the first time when somebody has had a drink.
"Calls are pretty consistent all year round and it tends to happen after the event, a little bit like Christmas. We experience the increase in calls in sort of the two or three weeks after Christmas and it's much the same with sporting events and it really doesn't matter whether that's England or whoever they're supporting, whether they win, lose or draw, the rise in calls is very similar.
"I think if you imagine living in a home with somebody who is a perpetrator of abuse and that they're going to get really wound up happy or really wound up angry depending on what their team does, the prospect of being trapped in that home must just be terrifying because you know that really it's going to kick off one way or the other.
"Just call us or call a domestic abuse charity for support. We're there to help you. We don't judge, we don't tell you what you should do, we don't say, 'right, you need to leave immediately.' We're literally there to support you to make the best, safest decision for yourself and your family."