Northumberland made film highlights the dangers of emotional abuse in teenage relationships

Northumberland Domestic Abuse Services (NDAS) a Northumberland based independent charity, have been working with Raw Productions, a London based media organisation, to produce a powerful and emotive brand new film that focuses on young people’s struggles with coercive and controlling relationships. These behaviours are not currently as widely understood or discussed in the public sphere as physically violent relationships.

The film highlights the dangers of emotional abuse in teenage relationships. Too many young people are coerced into controlling relationships by their partners, who use their power to emotionally control every aspect of their lives. Stories like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight confuse uncontrollable passion and love with emotional coerciveness and control, embedding an unhealthy picture of relationships into our culture.

For this to change, NDAS want young people to recognise it.

Emotional abuse is name-calling, isolating from friends and family, emotional mind games and threatening behaviour or language.

Maggie Martin, Children’s Service Coordinator for NDAS, explains;“Young people are especially vulnerable, we hope this film will raise awareness of the issue and get young people thinking about their own situation, or that of those around them.”.

The film was produced by RAW Productions as part of their charity initiative. Ryan Wilkins, CEO, said, “We chose to make this film to change the way people see and understand domestic abuse. Many people believe domestic abuse is physical abuse, and that’s just not the case.”.

The will be film is being launched on Valentine’s Day and its is free to share across Northumberland and further afield as long as you could highlight NDAS work in developing the video

Back ground information

In 2015 a Northumberland planning group was formed in response to the North East Violence against Women and Girls Strategy to develop lessons based on raising awareness of Domestic Abuse, Child Sexual Exploitation, Rape and Consent. The planning group consisted of Northumberland County Council Health & Well-Being Team, Northumbria Police, Northumberland Domestic Abuse Service (NDAS), Northumbria Health Trust and focused on strengthening learning for year 11 students. Dame Vera Baird spoke at the initial teacher training event funded by the Northumberland County Council Health & Wellbeing Team supported by Northumbria Police, NDAS, Northumberland Adolescent Services Health Participation Group, Open Clasp Theatre Company, BAIT Arts Programme and R.E.A.C.H. Our partnership won the Northumbria Health Partnership Award 2016 for this work.

A sexual exploitation drama project for year 9 students has developed from this work, this has become possible through funding from The Arts Council, Grants for the Arts Award Scheme. NDAS, Open Clasp, West End Women and Girls (DV Peer Supporters) and the Northumberland Planning team will work together with young people to develop the drama performed at the event, create peer educator workshops and training which will follow each performance. The performances are to be delivered in every high school and a range of community venues in Northumberland. A total of 37 performances and workshops will take place to ensure an equal chance for wider community to access the drama and workshops. The project will be evaluated throughout the whole process from the planning and development stages to delivery to audiences. The film will be used to highlight this project.

More about the film

In order to have a broad reach, the film focused on the general issue rather than the specifics of the work that NDAS carries out. To suit social platforms, the film is short and no more than 90 seconds long with an attention grabbing opening, a complex emotional journey and a hard-hitting ending. .

Our main objectives for the drama and film are to:

• Open up the conversation about psychologically damaging relationships

• Speak to young audiences by focussing on your young person’s service, in schools or youth/community settings

• Highlight the difficulties of living in a remote area

• Prevent young people engaging in unhealthy relationships/sexual exploitation.

This can be used to provide basic awareness or to initiate discussion with young people about domestic abuse and abusive relationships.