Archive: December 2023 · reviewed September 2026. This article reflects Aneeta Prem’s interview with Eastern Eye about safeguarding during the COVID-19 lockdowns. It is a historical account, not a statement about current restrictions. If you need help now, use Freedom’s current helpline guidance.
When home was no longer safe
Lockdown removed everyday opportunities to seek help for some women and children experiencing domestic abuse, forced marriage or family control. Closed schools, fewer private conversations and restrictions on movement could leave someone isolated with the very people they feared. Freedom Charity raised these safeguarding concerns during the pandemic, including in Aneeta Prem’s December 2023 interview with Eastern Eye.
What survivors told Freedom
Aneeta described what people told Freedom Charity about being isolated with abusive partners or relatives during the pandemic. She likened the experience to “being in a pressure cooker”. For a young person facing forced marriage or Dishonour Abuse, losing regular contact with teachers and friends could also mean losing a safe opportunity to ask for help. These accounts describe the risks Freedom encountered; they are not presented here as a statistical measure of the rise in abuse.
Safeguarding in an emergency
In her Eastern Eye interview, Aneeta questioned whether enough had changed to protect victims in a future emergency. “One thing often we learn from history is we don’t learn from history,” she observed. Her concern was practical: people experiencing abuse need clear public information that they can seek safety, ways to contact support privately and safeguarding arrangements that continue when schools and ordinary services close.
Children without a safe adult
“We failed a whole generation really,” Aneeta said of the children whose safety and education were affected by lockdown. In the interview, she described the fear reported by young people who were isolated at home. This is why schools need ways to maintain safe contact with pupils during disruption, and why adults must take indirect signs of coercion seriously. The interview does not provide a count of children who were harmed or lost contact with services.
Freedom’s response
Freedom’s specialist helpline offers information and support about forced marriage, FGM and Dishonour Abuse. During the pandemic, young people needed ways to make contact without alerting people who might be controlling them. For current guidance, including what to do in immediate danger, see Freedom’s helpline page.
Why asking for help can be difficult
Some victims face family pressure, threats over reputation, language barriers, immigration-related control or fears about what will happen if they disclose abuse. These risks can arise in many communities; no culture or ethnicity should be treated as a proxy for abuse. A safe response starts by listening to the person, assessing the immediate risk and respecting confidentiality.
Lessons for future emergencies
Emergency planning should include practical domestic-abuse and child-safeguarding routes from the outset: clear public messages, confidential ways to contact services, arrangements for vulnerable pupils when schools close, and support for people whose finances or immigration status make leaving harder. Freedom Charity continues to use education and professional training to help people recognise risk before it escalates.
Get help or support the work
The experiences described during the pandemic remain relevant to safeguarding planning. If you are worried about forced marriage, FGM or family-controlled abuse, use Freedom’s help and support routes. To support prevention, you can donate to Freedom or buy its books and badge.
Source and further information
Confidential support and safeguarding information · School resources · Professional training. If someone is in immediate danger in the UK, call 999.
Original reporting: Eastern Eye, 5 December 2023.