Charity Women’s Aid has launched a poignant new campaign in a bid to put pressure on Downing Street to re-evaluate funding for domestic abuse support services.
Inspired by Judith Kerr’s classic children’s book ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’, ‘The Monster Who Came to Tea’ presents an altogether more unsettling tale of a snarling beast that threatens a young girl’s mother at dinnertime.
Presented through the girl’s eyes, we soon realise that the monster is in fact her very own father, who is both physically and emotionally abusing her mother.
Developed in partnership with Women’s Aid’s agency of record House 337, the campaign comes ahead of the government’s Spring Spending Review, and urges the Labour Party to properly fund specialist domestic abuse services particularly for women and children.
Countless women and their children live in fear every day and this must change. We’re calling on the government to take urgent action and provide adequate funding for the lifesaving domestic abuse services that support those fleeing abuse,” said Farah Nazeer, Women’s Aid CEO.
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“By signing our open letter, you can show your solidarity with women and their children fleeing abuse, and spark change this International Women’s Day. ‘The Monster Who Came to Tea’ is not a story anyone would choose to read to their children, but sadly for many, this tale is not fiction. The Government’s pledge to halve violence against women in a decade will require tangible actions and not empty words.”
The book is set to be amplified by a powerful partly-animated film directed Guy Manwaring and produced by Merman Branded, supported by out-of-home and social media executions.
On social, the campaign will highlight survivor stories that showcase the support Women’s Aid provides to women and children, encouraging the public to sign an open letter to the Prime Minister requesting that domestic abuse funding be prioritised in the Spring Statement.
House 337 chief growth officer, Lucy Freedman added: “‘The Monster Who Came to Tea’ isn’t just a campaign, it’s a movement.”
“By integrating an educational component, we’re ensuring this conversation continues beyond the campaign’s lifespan and into the classroom, helping to shape a future free from domestic abuse,” she added.
