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Racism and other intersecting barriers to accessing safety and support

We need to work actively to make spaces and services safe and inclusive for women from all backgrounds and situations, and remove barriers to support due to migrant status, ethnicity, language, neurodiversity, disability and other aspects of lived experience.

rainbow flower

Racism and other intersecting barriers to accessing safety and support

We need to work actively to make spaces and services safe and inclusive for women from all backgrounds and situations, and remove barriers to support due to migrant status, ethnicity, language, neurodiversity, disability and other aspects of lived experience.

Communities like ours need to work actively to provide safe spaces for women who have experienced domestic/sexual violence often in addition to immigration abuse, harmful practices such as FGM, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, trafficking and HBV/A perpetrated through varying cultural and social lenses by intimate partners, family members and or community members. A safe space may be a specialist service, or a respectful and anti-racist organisation providing help around domestic abuse. A safe space is often needed to address other barriers, particularly for women who are destitute and homeless, or living in unstable or unsafe housing without support networks. Safe spaces are needed by migrant women who also have complex immigration issues, no recourse to public funds, face racial discrimination and harassment, hate crime and economic exploitation. Being trauma informed also means properly listening to and hearing women’s and girls’ lived experience, in all its diverse, cultural and unique aspects, and shaping our understanding of safe spaces accordingly.

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This service has saved my mental health and has provided a safe service whilst helping with coping mechanisms for the future.

- Lena

Latest news

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Voices have contributed to the new BANES Domestic Abuse leaflet.

This leaflet has been compiled for those exsperiencing domestic abuse and seeking support in the BANES area. There is a comprehensive list of contacts for local and national organisations offering a range of support.

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 Local Family Justice Board at University of the West of England Law School took place on Friday 19 May

A groundbreaking conference by the Local Family Justice Board at University of the West of England Law School took place on Friday 19 May, looking at how to improve responses to domestic abuse and support for adult and child survivors in family court processes. Our director Ursula spoke about family courts, coercive control and lived…

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Cycle challenge in aid of domestic abuse charity

by Tamsin and Hannah (May / Hughes) About We have set ourselves the challenge of cycling over 680 miles across France and to fundraise for domestic abuse charity Voices.  We’re new to bike touring and have been training for this challenge since September 2022. You can donate here: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/lostinfrance/ We hope our fundraiser will help…