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This is incorrect. Refuges are predominately shared living spaces, kitchens and sometimes bathrooms. What is more important to note here is what a refuge *is*. What differentiates a refuge from other spaces is specialist trauma informed staff on site. [A small thread] https://twitter.com/mlothianmclean/status/1356287887885672455
And to be clear, I am not weighing in on original debate/article. It just feels important to dispute this claim about choice of Refuge and naming something as a refuge when it is not.
Itâs so important to recognise the critical work that goes on inside Refuges and why defining them is important. Women donât forget trauma when they arrive at Refuge, they donât instantly loose all their misplaced guilt and responsibility. They donât suddenly recover.
The support in Refuges, with specialist staff, group workers, & counsellors, is crucial to empowering women to regain control sheâs lost due to her perpetrator. Perpetrators operate by ensuring you donât feel you can cope alone, coupled with feeing responsibility for him.
If a woman leaves her abuser, and in turn leaves her community, work, family behind and ends up in a flat all by herself with no support, she is much more likely to go back to him. Everything sheâs lost is instant, she canât even begin to focus on what she has to gain.
Self contained flats and flats in the community are often run by housing associations that do not provide the specialist support women need to recover and experience safety.
This is why - single flats, or self contained flats run by housing associations do very little to stop the cycle of abuse. Women experiencing abuse need to work with women who understand, can explain and support, to give the best chance of recovery and stop the cycle.
Refuges give women such a better chance of understanding and recovery. Self contained flats and flats in the community do not.
Whatâs seemingly bothered me most about this is the use of the word choice. So rarely do women have a choice in the type of refuge they access. 1. Because the urgency requires taking whatâs available. 2. Because thereâs no spaces she will take whatever comes up first.
There is not surplus to requirement. We have seen in this pandemic that provision does not meet the need. The statistics are wild, Refuges are reporting for every 1 room, there are 9 women calling for a space.
Iâve worked in the sector for a little while and worked for two VAWG charities during this pandemic. One where we had to set up âpop upâ accommodation to meet the needs of victim-survivors, and one where extra funding had to be found to offer longer term support.
Iâve had women in service for weeks still waiting on space. It hurts to see that claims like this are provided with little thought. The VAWG sector really is struggling.
Everyone that comes into service is treated with dignity and compassion, no doubt. But please, letâs stop with the anecdotal evidence, itâs so harmful.
Oh and- see here, there is currently amendments to be made to the DA Bill to remedy exactly this issue. https://twitter.com/c_kneer/status/1356339195380453378
