Refuge (United Kingdom charity)

Last updated

Refuge
Founded1971
Founder Erin Pizzey [1]
TypeRegistered UK charity (number 277424)
Focus Domestic abuse, violence against women and girls
Headquarters3rd Floor, One America Square, 17 Crosswall London, EC3N 2LB
Coordinates51° 30' 41.508 N 0° 4' 37.56 W
Origins Chiswick women's shelter
Area served
National
MethodProvision of a national network of specialist domestic abuse services for women and their children [2]
Revenue
£33,983,581 (2021)
Employees
460
Website https://refuge.org.uk/
Formerly called
Chiswick Women's Aid (1971–1979)
Chiswick Family Rescue (1979–1993)

Refuge is a United Kingdom charity providing specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic violence. It was founded by author and Men's Rights Activist Erin Pizzey. [3] [4] 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 24-Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline. [5] The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is only available for women.

Contents

Founded in 1971 as the modern world's first safe house for women and children escaping domestic violence, in Chiswick, West London, it is the largest domestic violence organisation in the United Kingdom. [2]

On any given day, Refuge's services supports thousands of women and children. [6] The charity says it is committed to working towards a world where women and children can live in safety, free from fear. [2] No services are provided for men. [4]

History

Refuge was founded by Erin Pizzey. Erin Pizzey on newsPeeks.jpg
Refuge was founded by Erin Pizzey.

Erin Pizzey opened the modern world's first refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence, in Chiswick, west London, in 1971. [7] In 1979, the organisation became a registered charity, changing its name from Chiswick Women's Aid to Chiswick Family Rescue. [8] [9] In 1993, the charity changed its name to Refuge, reflecting its growing national status. [7] 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. [10]

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. [10]

Exiling of Founder

Pizzey has been the subject of boycotts due to her reaching conclusions that conflict with Refuge's mission as an organization dedicated to women and children. Pizzey concluded that most domestic violence is reciprocal [ citation needed ] without acknowledging the large difference in rate of occurrence between genders [ citation needed ], and that women are as capable of violence as men [ citation needed ], despite evidence suggesting that higher degrees and rates of violence are more associated with men than they are with women[ citation needed ].

The escalation of these boycotts into threats is what eventually led to her exile from the UK. [11] [12] Pizzey has claimed that the threats were from militant feminists. [13] [14] She is now banned from Refuge. [15]

Activities

Refuge provides a national network of refuges across 15 local authority areas in England. [6]

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. [16]

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. [6]

Campaigns

Refuge runs campaigns to raise awareness of domestic violence and reach out to women and children who experience domestic violence. [17]

In 1999, Sheryl Gascoigne 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. [18]

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. The campaign was based on a YouGov survey showing that young women lack awareness of the techniques used by violent men to control women. [19]

In 2009, Refuge conducted a high-profile awareness raising campaign titled Four Ways To Speak Out in partnership with the cosmetics company Avon Products. [20] 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. [21] 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 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. [22] 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 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. [23]

In 2011, Refuge and the NSPCC, funded by the City Bridge Trust, produced a report on the services for children living with domestic violence in London. [24]

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. [25]

In 2010, Refuge conducted a scoping study into the experience of forced marriage of women from Middle Eastern and North East African communities. [26]

In 2009, Refuge produced a report titled 'Starting in School' as a result of a YouGov survey exploring young women's attitudes and knowledge of the warning signs of domestic violence. [27]

In 2008, Refuge released a study into the impacts of financial abuse on women and children experiencing domestic violence. [28]

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. [29]

Funding

In 2010, Refuge had an income of £10,284,785. [30] 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. [31]

Patrons

Patrons of the charity include Cherie Booth,[ citation needed ] Patrick Stewart, Jo Brand, Helena Kennedy and Fiona Bruce. [32] [33]

Sir Patrick Stewart

In 2007, English actor Patrick Stewart was appointed a patron of Refuge, having witnessed his mother experience violence from his father as a child. [34]

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. [35]

In May 2013, while answering fans' questions at Comicpalooza, Stewart spoke about his work with Refuge in response to a fan asking what he was most proud of outside of acting. [36]

In September 2014, writing in the New Statesman , Stewart backed Refuge's campaign for a public inquiry into the police and state response to domestic violence. [37]

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." [38]

Stewart has also expressed his support for Refuge in national news outlets on a number of occasions. [39] [40] [41]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiswick</span> Riverside district of London, England

Chiswick is a district in the London Borough of Hounslow, West London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Fuller's Brewery, London's largest and oldest brewery. In a meander of the River Thames used for competitive and recreational rowing, with several rowing clubs on the river bank, the finishing post for the Boat Race is just downstream of Chiswick Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NSPCC</span> British child protection charity

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity founded as the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC) by Thomas Agnew on 19 April 1883. The NSPCC lobbies the government on issues relating to child welfare, and creates child abuse public awareness campaigns. Since the 1980s, the charity has had statutory powers allowing it to apply for help on behalf of children at risk. In the 1990s, the charity's publication, Satanic Indicators, fueled panic in social workers who went and accused parents and removed children from homes when they should not have. It operates a help line. The Paddington Bear character has partnered with the charity to raise funds for the charity. NSPCC operates telephone helplines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Pizzey</span> British activist (born 1939)

Erin Patria Margaret Pizzey is a British 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 shelter in the modern world, Refuge, then known as Chiswick Women's Aid, in 1971.

Women's Aid Federation of England, commonly called Women's Aid within England, is one of a group of charities across the United Kingdom. There are four main Women's Aid Federations, one for each of the countries of the United Kingdom. Its aim is to end domestic violence against women and children. The charity works at both local and national levels to ensure women's safety from domestic violence and promotes policies and practices to prevent domestic violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's shelter</span> Place of temporary protection and support for women

A women's shelter, also known as a women's refuge and battered women's shelter, is a place of temporary protection and support for women escaping domestic violence and intimate partner violence of all forms. The term is also frequently used to describe a location for the same purpose that is open to people of all genders at risk.

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Scottish Women's Aid is the lead domestic abuse organisation in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic violence</span> Abuse of members of the same household

Domestic violence is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. Domestic violence is often used as a synonym for intimate partner violence, which is committed by one of the people in an intimate relationship against the other person, and can take place in relationships or between former spouses or partners. In its broadest sense, domestic violence also involves violence against children, parents, or the elderly. It can assume multiple forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, reproductive, financial abuse, or sexual abuse. It can range from subtle, coercive forms to marital rape and other violent physical abuse, such as choking, beating, female genital mutilation, and acid throwing that may result in disfigurement or death, and includes the use of technology to harass, control, monitor, stalk or hack. Domestic murder includes stoning, bride burning, honor killing, and dowry death, which sometimes involves non-cohabitating family members. In 2015, the United Kingdom's Home Office widened the definition of domestic violence to include coercive control.

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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to domestic violence:

Domestic violence against men is violence or other physical abuse towards men in a domestic setting, such as in marriage or cohabitation. As with domestic violence against women, violence against men may constitute a crime, but laws vary between jurisdictions. Intimate partner violence (IPV) against men is generally less recognized by society than intimate partner violence against women, which can act as a further block to men reporting their situation.

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The NSW Women's Refuge Movement began in 1974 with the establishment of Elsie Refuge in Glebe, NSW. Other refuges were established throughout the 1970s, operating within a feminist framework and responding to the needs of women and children escaping domestic violence. At first, the refuges were developed through volunteer effort and without government funding. Gradually the government took over funding of the refuges, with the states funding the buildings and the federal government funding the running costs. The NSW Women's Refuge Movement continued to provide services to women with diverse needs and to raise awareness about domestic violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence</span> Aspect of viral outbreak

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References

  1. ↑ "Weymouth women's refuge sale is suspended". BBC News. 3 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ Rappaport, Helen (2001). "Pizzey, Erin (1939– ) United Kingdom". Encyclopedia of women social reformers. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 549. ISBN   978-1-57607-101-4. In 1972 the center was visited by U.S. feminists, who set up similar ventures in the United States ...
  4. 1 2 Lewis, Helen (27 February 2020). "Feminism's Purity Wars". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "Our services|Refuge". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 August 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. 1 2 "35 years of Refuge". Refuge. n.d. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  8. ↑ "Register Home Page". Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  9. ↑ "History". Refuge. n.d. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  10. 1 2 Daly, Emma (22 May 1997). "Women from a broken home?". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  11. ↑ "Erin Pizzey, crusader for battered women" . Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Pizzey, Erin (2011). This Way to the Revolution: A Memoir. Peter Owen. ISBN   978-0-7206-1360-5.
  13. ↑ Philip W. Cook (2009). Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. ABC-CLIO. pp. 123–4. ISBN   978-0-313-35618-6.
  14. ↑ Ross, Deborah (10 March 1997). "Battered? Erin Pizzey? Yes, a bit". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "We gave women back a sense of self". Richmond and Twickenham Times. 29 March 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  16. ↑ "Home– National Domestic Violence Helpline". Nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "Campaigns". Refuge. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  18. ↑ Julia, Stuart (27 November 1999). "My Week: Sheryl Gascoigne Former Wife of Paul Gascoigne". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  19. ↑ Jo Adetunji (5 August 2008). "Refuge campaign highlights warning signs for domestic abuse | Society". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  20. ↑ Janqui Mehta, senior communications officer, Refuge (15 April 2010). "Finding ways to Speak Out: Refuge's partnership with Avon". CharityComms. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ "How to look your best the morning after". 1 July 2012. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016– via YouTube.
  22. ↑ Kelly, June (21 May 2013). "Maria Stubbings murder: IPCC report prompts inquiry call". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  23. ↑ Research and publications. "Research and policy". refuge.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  24. ↑ "Meeting the needs of children living with domestic violence in London" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  25. ↑ ""It's a difficult subject, isn't it?" Piloting Refuge and Respect's domestic violence resources for employers in 'Nordby' County Council: an evaluation report" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  26. ↑ "Forced Marriage in the UK" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  27. ↑ "Starting in school to end domestic violence" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "What's yours is mine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  29. ↑ "Refuge assessment and intervention for pre-school children exposed to domestic violence" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  30. ↑ "Register Home Page". Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  31. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). charity-commission.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  32. ↑ "HSBC : News and updates". Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  33. ↑ "This page has been reserved for future use". Starsandhearts.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  34. ↑ Stewart, Patrick (5 February 2012). "Domestic violence blighted my home. That's why I support Refuge". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  35. ↑ "Sir Patrick Stewart's BBC Lifeline Appeal for Refuge". Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2015– via YouTube.
  36. ↑ "Watch: Patrick Stewart gives passionate response on violence against women at 2013 Comicpalooza". Global News. 30 May 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  37. ↑ Stewart, Patrick (4 September 2014). "Patrick Stewart: There's no such thing as "just a domestic"". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  38. ↑ Chalmers, Amanda (9 December 2014). "SPECIAL FEATURE: Safe house will close without you!". Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  39. ↑ Stewart, Patrick (27 November 2009). "Patrick Stewart: the legacy of domestic violence". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  40. ↑ Dugan, Emily (2 December 2012). "IoS Christmas Appeal: Patrick Stewart – 'I knew the exact moment to rush in and stop him hitting her'". The Independent. London on Sunday. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  41. ↑ "Patrick Stewart: Silent crime of domestic violence". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
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