CHILDREN - so often the innocent victims.

Malvern Women's Refuge is planning a series of events to raise awareness of its work in the area.

For the two years up to this April it received 312 referrals and admitted 84 women. A lot of these women,no doubt, have children hence they too became victims.

It's not that Malvern has got a particularly bad incidence of domestic violence, it's society as a whole. The society in which we are bringing up our children.

Some rural towns, for instance, are creating major policing problems as officers are called to an increasing number of volatile, and violent, domestic situations. The children are often in the background.

Some time ago the siting of the Women's Refuge caused some concern with residents who thought that violent situations would be brought to their doors. But it's behind doors that this violence occurs.

So spare a thought for the Women's Refuge work and particularly their current focus on children who often, in their innocence, don't even know that what's happening to them is wrong.

It's up to all of us to ensure that they are not wronged and that the little children do not have to suffer...