THEY stepped out in their hundreds last night, united in their defiance against domestic violence.
An estimated 300 people walked through Southampton city centre to mark International White Ribbon Day.
The procession began below Holyrood Church, in High Street, on to which a brightly-lit white ribbon was projected, with throbbing drums warming everyone up in the chilly evening. On the floor and along the route were eye-catching projections and stickers, displaying poems from abuse victims.
Among the art installations was a tree wrapped symbolically in white ribbons.
Michelle Barry, chairman of the Southampton Domestic Violence Forum, said: “It has been so positive tonight with such a huge crowd for this really cold evening.
“It goes to show that many people have had some experience of this massively unreported issue.”
In the last year alone there have been 5,406 reports of domestic violence incidents in the city.
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