Refuge ambassadors on the importance of safe spaces for domestic abuse survivors

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Transcript

00:00So most people who are fleeing an abusive partner,

00:03some of them have been planning it for a while,

00:06but some of them have to do it in a very spontaneous way.

00:10And so a place has to be available to them at the drop of a hat sometimes.

00:14Having that space available that is right there, right now,

00:18is a lifesaver and a life changer.

00:20Quite often refugees don't have enough space

00:23or can't accept a mum who's got more than three children.

00:26For some people, a much-loved family pet

00:30has been literally a family member to them.

00:33So the traditional refuge is not something that they...

00:36That works for them.

00:38So any house that becomes available for such women

00:42is absolutely vital.

00:44As it stands, if you try and get onto a council list,

00:48there's often this thing that's called local connection, right?

00:51So you have to sort of prove that somehow you're local.

00:54But of course, you have to leave the area in which you've been living with the abuser.

00:58So that often means moving county,

00:59it often means moving somewhere else where you don't know anybody,

01:02you have no friends, no family, no support network.

01:05They can reclaim some of their independence

01:07and actually be able to begin to rebuild their lives

01:10in an environment that feels comfortable to them after such traumatic events.

01:14If there were dedicated safe spaces that you know you could go to,

01:18it would mean that a lot of the uncertainty

01:21of that moment of leaving is dealt with.

01:24And that can take an enormous weight off the mind of somebody who's deciding to leave.

01:30Anyone can be welcome and they can feel that,

01:34OK, this can be a safe haven for me,

01:37for me to really work on overcoming my trauma.

01:41It's really important that there is somewhere for women to go

01:44that they don't end up alone or even homeless.

01:46It's not even a house, it's not even a structure,

01:48it's not even a building, it's a feeling.

01:50It's warmth, it's safety, it's a home.

01:55It could save your life, it could save the life of your children.

01:58And that's literally what Refuge does day in, day out.