Who Pays The Price? was an enlightening discussion by an inspiring panel of speakers that marked the beginning of the 20th anniversary celebrations of Rise, a women’s domestic abuse charity working throughout Sussex.


The panel was chaired by The Guardian’s Polly Toynbee, who led a succinct conversation about the issues concerning victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Toynbee gave the speakers the time they needed to express their ideas while maintaining a through-line to the debate. The way she dealt with audience questions was particularly impressive, condensing and putting them to panel members to answer from their various fields.


Who Pays The Price? was billed as a debate, but really there was little to be debated, and rightly so. One in four women in the UK suffer from some form of domestic abuse, with Caroline Lucas stating that an estimated 11,000 Brightonians fall into this category.


The discussion was insightful, well presented and shocking. A key issue was the strength of good and supportive services in the city, but that cases frequently fall to pieces when they enter court. This is something we have to deal with so that women are able to speak out about the abuse they suffer.