Ms Kathrina Bentley:

We do have men reporting to us and disclosing abuse, and they do have children. To date, they have found accommodation themselves with either family or friends. We do have dads with children. They took cover in hotels etc. during Covid if they could not sofa-surf. It is not that they do not exist; they are hidden and invisible. The dads and children have the same plight, experience and journey as the women and children, predominantly. I think we are all gathered here tonight to emphasise that we are all holding back a social pandemic literally with Sellotape. We are all trying our best but, because this is not all co-ordinated for all the reasons Ms McDermott, Ms Graham, Ms Sherlock and Ms Marmion have outlined, it really is a pandemic. I would call this a national emergency because, for us, with Covid and the restrictions easing, we are seeing the increase only now, so I am not looking forward to 2022. Likewise, we are looking at our three-year and five-year strategies now because we are really getting the heat of this only now because we have come out of lockdown. Yes, the male victim is there; it is about encouraging him to come forward, breaking down those silences and finding solutions to stop the silence for all victims.