Refuge is a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...

providing specialist support for

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

and children experiencing domestic violence. It was founded by author and

men's rights activist The men's rights movement (MRM) is a branch of the men's movement. The MRM in particular consists of a variety of groups and individuals (men's rights activists or MRAs) who focus on general social issues and specific government services whic ...

Erin Pizzey Erin Patria Margaret Pizzey (; born 19 February 1939) is an English ex-feminist, Men's rights activist and advocate against domestic violence, and novelist. She is known for having started the first and currently the largest domestic violence sh ...

. Refuge provides a national network of specialist services, including emergency refuge accommodation ( refuges), community outreach, independent domestic violence advocacy (IDVAs), culturally specific services and a team of child support workers. Refuge also runs the

Freephone A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number from a landline is free of charge. A toll-free number is identified by a dialing prefi ...

24-Hour National Domestic Abuse

Helpline A helpline, or switchboard, is a telephone service which offers help to those who call. Many helpline services now offer more than telephone support - offering access to information, advice or customer service via telephone, email, web or SMS. ...

. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is only available for women. Founded in 1971 as the modern world's first safe house for women and children escaping domestic violence, in Chiswick, West

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, it is the largest domestic violence organisation in the United Kingdom. On any given day, Refuge’s services supports thousands of women and children. The charity says it is committed to working towards a world where women and children can live in safety, free from fear.

History

opened the modern world’s first refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence, in Chiswick, west

, in 1971. In 1979, the organisation became a registered charity, changing its name from Chiswick Women’s Aid to Chiswick Family Rescue. In 1993, the charity changed its name to Refuge, reflecting its growing national status. This followed a funding crisis in 1992 when the charity faced closure, before Sandra Horley made a personal appeal to Diana, Princess of Wales who made a donation and several private visits to the charity's shelters, raising its profile. In 1997, three of the charity's trustees resigned in a controversy over one of their number's links to a group associated with

false memory syndrome In psychology, false memory syndrome (FMS) is a condition in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by false memories of psychological trauma, recollections that are factually incorrect yet strongly believed. Peter J. Freyd orig ...

Activities

Refuge provides a national network of refuges across 15 local authority areas in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Refuge also provides a number of other services, including Community Outreach and Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy services, and runs the Freephone 24 Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247. Refuge also seeks to raise awareness of domestic violence and challenge negative social attitudes. It also responds to key policy consultations and debates, ensuring that the voices and needs of abused women and children are reflected in national legislation.

Campaigns

Refuge runs campaigns to raise awareness of domestic violence and reach out to women and children who experience domestic violence. In 1999,

Sheryl Gascoigne Sheryl Gascoigne (née Failes; born 24 September 1963) is a British television personality and author. She is the former wife of footballer Paul Gascoigne and the mother of glamour model Bianca Gascoigne. Her television career includes a pres ...

supported Refuge's campaign 'It's a Matter of Life and Death'. She had recently divorced footballer Paul Gascoigne following her experience of domestic violence at his hands. In 2008, Refuge created an advertising campaign designed to raise awareness of the warning signs of domestic violence, highlighting the statistic that two women are killed every week by current or former partners in England and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The campaign was based on a

YouGov YouGov is a British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm, headquartered in the UK, with operations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. In 2007, it acquired US company Polimetrix, and sinc ...

survey showing that young women lack awareness of the techniques used by violent men to control women. In 2009, Refuge conducted a high-profile awareness raising campaign titled Four Ways To Speak Out in partnership with the cosmetics company Avon Products. The campaign was supported by a number of families whose loved ones had been killed as a result of domestic violence. In 2012, Refuge launched an online video campaign called Don’t Cover It Up, with popular make-up artist

Lauren Luke Lauren Luke (born 8 December 1981) is an English YouTube personality who became known for creating make-up tutorials on Panacea81, one of the most popular channels during the early years of YouTube. Early life Luke was born in South Shields in ...

. The video was designed to raise awareness of the fact that many women who experience domestic violence keep it hidden. The video has been viewed over 2.3 million times to date and won numerous awards including the coveted

Creative Circle The Creative Circle (also known as The Advertising Creative Circle and The Advertising Creative Circle of Great Britain) is an educational awards body dedicated to creativity in British advertising, and the oldest advertising and marketing awards ...

Gold of Golds award. In 2013, Refuge launched a campaign calling on the Government to open a public inquiry into the response of the police and other state agencies to victims of domestic violence. The campaign was backed by the family of Maria Stubbings, who was murdered by her ex-partner in 2008. An investigation by the

Independent Police Complaints Commission The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales. On 8 January 2018, th ...

in 2013 found that Essex Police made a series of failings in their response to Maria.

Research

Refuge undertakes research into the effects of domestic violence and issues surrounding service provision for abused women and children. In 2011, Refuge and the

NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...

, funded by the

City Bridge Trust The Bridge House Estates is a charitable trust, originating in the late eleventh century and formally established by royal charter in 1282 by the City of London Corporation in London, England. It was originally established to maintain London Brid ...

, produced a report on the services for children living with domestic violence in London. Together with the charity Respect, Refuge has produced a domestic abuse resource manual for employers. This resource is designed to help employers and human resources professionals respond to employees who are victims or perpetrators of abuse. In 2011, Refuge and Respect published an evaluation of the resource manual after piloting it with a county council. In 2010, Refuge conducted a scoping study into the experience of forced marriage of women from Middle Eastern and North East African communities. In 2009, Refuge produced a report titled 'Starting in School' as a result of a

survey exploring young women’s attitudes and knowledge of the warning signs of domestic violence. In 2008, Refuge released a study into the impacts of financial abuse on women and children experiencing domestic violence. In 2005, Refuge produced a report on assessment and intervention for pre-school children exposed to domestic violence. It identifies ways to support young children and help them overcome their experiences.

Funding

In 2010, Refuge had an income of £10,284,785. The funding is mostly from United Kingdom taxpayers via the Home Office and local councils. In 2009, a member of staff received over £190,000 p.a. with employer pension contributions to the highest paid staff of over £70,000.

Patrons

Patrons of the charity include Cherie Booth,

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...

Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and actress. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Satu ...

Helena Kennedy Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, KC, FRSA, HonFRSE (born 12 May 1950), is a Scottish barrister, broadcaster, and Labour member of the House of Lords. She was Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, from 2011 to 2018. Ea ...

and

Fiona Bruce Fiona Elizabeth Bruce (born 25 April 1964) is a British journalist, newsreader, and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for '' Panorama'' in 1989, and has since become the first female newsreader on the ''BBC News at Ten' ...

Sir Patrick Stewart

In 2007, English actor

was appointed a patron of Refuge, having witnessed his mother experience violence from his father as a child. In October 2011, Stewart presented a BBC Lifeline appeal for Refuge and interviewed a woman whose daughter had been killed by an abusive ex partner. In May 2013, while answering fans’ questions at

Comicpalooza Comicpalooza is a large annual, multi-genre, comic book, science fiction, anime, gaming, and pop culture convention in the Southern United States and is held in Houston, Texas. The event is organized by John Simons, the originator of the eve ...

, Stewart spoke about his work with Refuge in response to a fan asking what he was most proud of outside of acting. In September 2014, writing in the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...

'', Stewart backed Refuge's campaign for a public inquiry into the police and state response to domestic violence. In December 2014 Stewart backed Refuge's fundraising appeal to keep its refuge service in Stratford-Upon-Avon open, commenting: "It is no exaggeration to say that services like this save lives. Behind the walls of these extraordinary houses, specialist staff help women and children to rebuild every aspect of their lives, helping them to stay safe from violent men, access health services, legal advocacy and immigration advice, as well as get back into work or education." Stewart has also expressed his support for Refuge in national news outlets on a number of occasions.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , last=Daly , first=Emma , title=Women from a broken home? , date=22 May 1997 , work=The Independent , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women-from-a-broken-home-1262770.html , access-date=5 January 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420232120/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women-from-a-broken-home-1262770.html , archive-date=20 April 2012 , url-status=live , location=London {{cite news , last=Julia , first=Stuart , title=My Week: Sheryl Gascoigne Former Wife Of Paul Gascoigne , date=27 November 1999 , work=The Independent , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/my-week-sheryl-gascoigne-former-wife-of-paul-gascoigne-1129000.html , access-date=5 January 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105205437/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/my-week-sheryl-gascoigne-former-wife-of-paul-gascoigne-1129000.html , archive-date=5 November 2012 , url-status=live , location=London {{cite web , title=35 years of Refuge , date=n.d. , publisher=Refuge , url=http://refuge.org.uk/about-us/refuges-35th-birthday/35-years-of-refuge/ , access-date=5 January 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108081525/http://refuge.org.uk/about-us/refuges-35th-birthday/35-years-of-refuge/ , url-status=dead , archive-date=8 November 2012 {{cite web , title=History , date=n.d. , publisher=Refuge , url=http://refuge.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/history/ , access-date=5 January 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091227201426/http://refuge.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/history/ , url-status=dead , archive-date=27 December 2009

External links

Refuge
Charities based in London Domestic violence-related organizations Organizations established in 1971 1971 establishments in the United Kingdom