Women's Aid

Women's Aid is the key national charity in England for women and children experiencing physical, sexual or emotional abuse in their homes.

About Women's Aid

Women's Aid Federation of England is the key national agency for women and children experiencing physical, sexual or emotional abuse in their homes. Women's Aid Federation:

  • supports and provides services to the English network of 250 local refuges;
  • runs the Women's Aid National Helpline for women experiencing violence at home;
  • produces information, resources and publications on domestic violence issues;
  • provides consultancy, support and training services to agencies working with women and children who experience domestic violence;
  • raises awareness of domestic violence among the public, policy makers, practitioners and the media;
  • monitors policy and practice around domestic violence issues and works to achieve better legal rights, support and protection for abused women and children.

What is domestic violence?

Domestic violence: the physical, emotional, sexual or mental abuse of one person (usually a woman) by another with whom they have an intimate relationship. Domestic violence is rarely a one-off event, it tends to escalate in frequency and severity. It can include a range of behaviour:

  • physical violence - slapping, burning, beating, kicking, biting, knife wounds - often leading to permanent injuries, and sometimes death.
  • sexual abuse - rape, forced sexual acts, sexual degradation.
  • emotional abuse - intimidation, bullying, constant criticism, saying she’s worthless, fat or ugly, keeping her locked up, isolating her from friends and family.
  • threats - to harm her family, to take her children away, to kill her.

Everyone has the right to be safe in their own home, yet tens of thousands of women and children still live with domestic violence.

The Women's aid website has information on getting help and a map you can search to find the nearest refuge to you.

If you are a victim of domestic violence there is real help you can obtain to protect you and your children.

See The Legal Process - Applications - Domestic Violence for more info.



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Information on this page is current and last updated: 12/03/2008

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