International Women’s Day: Why Calling Out Abuse Matters More Than Ever

On 5 March, Annabel’s in Mayfair, the private members’ club hosted its seventh annual International Women’s Day event with The Caring Family Foundation. The morning gathering brought together an impressive panel of voices – including Soma Sara, founder of Everyone’s Invited, actress Lucy Boynton (who most recently played Ruth Ellis in the ITV drama A Cruel Love about the last woman to be hanged in the UK; she killed her abuser), criminologist Professor Katrin Hohl OBE, domestic abuse survivor and campaigner Natalie Queiroz MBE – alongside broadcaster June Sarpong OBE, who chaired the discussion under this year’s theme, ‘Give To Gain’.

The conversation ranged from culture to justice, and how we need to call out abuse when we see it. Natalie Queiroz MBE spoke powerfully about her own experience of domestic abuse and her journey from survivor to campaigner. She was stabbed 27 times, while eight months pregnant – she had a good job, lived in a ‘good’ part of town and wasn’t your ‘stereotypical’ victim. It is easy to assume that domestic abuse is someone else’s problem – something happening behind closed doors. But the reality is far closer. It is present in cities and villages, in workplaces and homes, among people who appear outwardly successful and secure.

Sam Simpson/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Annabel’s & The Caring Family Foundation

Professor Katrin Hohl, one of the UK’s leading experts on violence against women and girls, spoke about the systemic barriers victims still face when seeking justice. Meanwhile Lucy Boynton reflected on how public figures and cultural institutions can use their platforms to shift attitudes, challenge harmful norms, and provide access points for people who can find it hard to articulate what might be happening to them.

This is where organisations like The Caring Family Foundation can make a difference. Founded by Richard and Patricia Caring in 2019, its work spans the UK and Brazil, supporting programmes that address food insecurity, protect rainforest communities and – crucially – provide support services for victims of domestic abuse. Since its creation, the foundation has delivered more than 31,000 domestic abuse services across the two countries, offering practical help and protection to women and families at moments of acute vulnerability.

Domestic abuse is not a private issue – it is a societal one. It requires us not to look the other way and to speak up when something feels wrong.

As June Sarpong put it, influence – whether personal, professional or public – carries responsibility. The idea behind ‘Give To Gain’ is that when women use their voices, networks and resources to lift others up, the impact ripples outward.

Find out more at thecaringfamilyfoundation.org