evidence: Former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt says being stalked gave her a chilling insight into what it must be like to be the victim of domestic violence [...] Refuge has someone call for help every two minutes. It estimates that one in four women will be affected by these issues at some point in their lives. Despite my experiences of stalking, I cannot imagine how drained and desperate it must feel to have nowhere safe to be. Once you have that, so many other things become possible. Your health improves. You can start to think about the future. Your energies and faculties can be channelled into something life-improving, as opposed to simply surviving. [...] Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independent and charity Refuge, to help raise £300,000 to build a safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make new futures.