Call the Midwife star Megan Cusack is best known for playing Nancy Corrigan in the hit show, but she has taken on a very different role for a brilliant cause.
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A new video, made by the London-based charity Sistah Space, aims to highlight the inequality black women in the UK face when seeking help for domestic abuse. In the video, Megan plays a young woman who is visibly bruised from an attack, and is told that her abuser has been arrested. She is then followed by Foundation actress Leah Harvey, who is told by police that they are unable to arrest her abuser due to lack of evidence.
WATCH: Call the Midwife's Megan Cusack stars in new campaign against domestic violence
The campaign focuses on a common issue reported by black victims, where police use bruising as an indicator of a situation’s severity, so leaving black women at increased risk. The video is aimed to draw attention to a petition requesting improved police training.
Megan opened up about taking part in the campaign
Speaking about taking part, Megan said: “When the offer of this project came up there wasn’t a moment of hesitation on whether or not to take it. I feel, especially as a white woman, we have to appreciate and acknowledge the privilege we have, and how important it is for us when fighting for equality to stand strong in amplifying and highlighting the voices of the black women around us.”
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Ngozi Fulani, the head of Sistah Space, added: “Without mandating this life-saving training, black women are left to gamble with their lives on whether the officer responding to the scene has received enough cultural training to spot the unique signs of abuse in black environments or on black skin.”
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