Refuge (United Kingdom charity)

History

Erin Pizzey opened the modern world's first refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence, in Chiswick, west London, in 1971. 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.

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 and that women are as capable of violence as men .The escalation of these boycotts into threats is what eventually led to her exile from the UK. Pizzey has claimed that the threats were from militant feminists. She is now banned from Refuge.

Activities

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

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 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. The campaign was based on a YouGov 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. 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. 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. 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.

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 YouGov 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, Jo Brand, Helena Kennedy and Fiona Bruce.

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. 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, 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, 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

References

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11. Ross, Deborah. (10 March 1997). "Battered? Erin Pizzey? Yes, a bit". The Independent.
12. (29 March 2004). "We gave women back a sense of self". Richmond and Twickenham Times.
13. "Home– National Domestic Violence Helpline". Nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk.
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16. Janqui Mehta, senior communications officer, Refuge. (2010-04-15). "Finding ways to Speak Out: Refuge's partnership with Avon". CharityComms.
17. (2012-07-01). "How to look your best the morning after".
18. (2013-05-21). "Maria Stubbings murder: IPCC report prompts inquiry call". BBC News.
19. "Research and policy".
20. "Meeting the needs of children living with domestic violence in London".
21. ""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".
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29. (5 February 2012). "Domestic violence blighted my home. That's why I support Refuge". The Guardian.
30. (2013-05-30). "Watch: Patrick Stewart gives passionate response on violence against women at 2013 Comicpalooza".
31. (4 September 2014). "Patrick Stewart: There's no such thing as "just a domestic"". New Statesman.
32. (9 December 2014). "SPECIAL FEATURE: Safe house will close without you!". Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald.
33. (27 November 2009). "Patrick Stewart: the legacy of domestic violence". The Guardian.
34. (2 December 2012). "IoS Christmas Appeal: Patrick Stewart – 'I knew the exact moment to rush in and stop him hitting her'". The Independent.
35. "Patrick Stewart: Silent crime of domestic violence". BBC News.
36. Stewart, Patrick. (27 November 2009). "Patrick Stewart: the legacy of domestic violence". The Guardian.
37. Daly, Emma. (22 May 1997). "Women from a broken home?". The Independent.
38. Julia, Stuart. (27 November 1999). "My Week: Sheryl Gascoigne Former Wife of Paul Gascoigne". The Independent.
39. (n.d.). "35 years of Refuge". Refuge.
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