Written By:
Debbie Beadle,
CEO,
Cardiff Women’s Aid
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This year is a very special year for Cardiff Women’s Aid. It marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the charity.
In 1974 a committed group of women – all volunteers – got together to campaign for and open the first refuge in Wales. This group became Cardiff Women’s Aid, and their work would not have been possible without the support of local businesses at the time.
Fifty years on, I am proud to be the charity’s CEO. We provide needs-based support and a place of safety for all women and children across Cardiff, and often from further afield, experiencing and at-risk of gender-based violence. We work alongside survivors to create change, raising awareness of the causes and consequences of violence against women and girls.
We work in partnership with others, including the business community, to prevent gender-based violence and promote equality. On International Women’s Day we are calling on businesses to join us in celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness against bias, and to take action for equality.
We can provide a range of signposting materials for staff or clients who may need support themselves, or for a friend, including a guide on what to say to someone who may be experiencing abuse. We often work with businesses to run expert-led ‘lunch and learn’ sessions for staff, during which we provide a short overview of domestic abuse, what to do to support someone, and where to get further specialist support.
Over the past 50 years thousands and thousands of women and children, no matter what their personal circumstances and background, have come through our doors to find a place of safety and support. They have come from every community across the city as well as from elsewhere to find a place of sanctuary from abuse and to be empowered to recover and thrive free from abuse.
Today we continue to provide this support 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Last year we supported 3,845 women and 342 children to find freedom from abuse.
Our Impact Report for 2022/23 also showed that:
- 295 survivors were supported through targeted projects.
- 144 phone calls were received by our helpline every month on average.
- 835 pupils were engaged in workshops on healthy relationships and awareness of violence against women.
- 202 women were accommodated in refuge.
However, we have never had enough funding to meet demand. Last year, 317 women were referred to us for refuge support – but we could only support 202. We did not have the space or capacity to provide nearly 40% of those needing refuge with support when they needed it most.
Beyond our 50th year we do not know if we will have sufficient funding to meet the level of demand for support we are seeing now, let alone the increase in need we are likely to see in the future from women and children across the city.
We are calling again on local businesses to stand with us to help us ensure we are here tomorrow to provide much needed care and support for the women and children of Cardiff.
To mark the milestone of our 50th anniversary we are launching an Opening Doors campaign. We want to celebrate the support we have been able to offer in our past, and to secure our future. We have been there for the women of Cardiff since 1974, and we want to be there for another 50 years, and beyond. We want to be there to support and empower all women, and we won’t give up.
For more information please contact us at [email protected] or visit our website www.cardiffwomensaid.org.uk
