Christine had had personal experience of domestic abuse when, one of her friends was murdered by her boyfriend. On the outside it appeared to be a loving and caring relationship, and no one was aware of the problems and abuse that this young woman was facing at the hands of her partner. No one had recognised the signs of an abusive and controlling relationship. There had been no signs of violence. It's only looking back it became apparent but it was too late. Christine’s friend is one of a large number of young people who are facing domestic abuse on a daily basis.
Christine felt helpless and sad. What could she have done. She wanted to try to stop this happening to someone else. So by doing research she and other members of Kids Count and stakeholders started on the road to change attitudes and behaviours of young people.
The ‘Respect Me Because I Count’ campaign and documentary aims to tackle the issue of abuse in relationships between young people, and promote the importance of healthy relationships. This documentary was written, directed, acted and filmed by the Youth members of Kids Count. To accompany this documentary we have also developed supporting resources to inform and stimulate peer-to-peer debates on abusive and healthy relationships.