What is the charity Women’s Aid, what are its aims and what did it say about Gemma Collins?
The non-profit organisation is on hand to help female and child victims of domestic abuse
THE work of non-profit organisations, including that of Women's Aid, is crucial for the victims of crime.
No matter what your donation, big or small, any amount of change collected can make a big difference for a charity. But how can you money help?
What is Women’s Aid?
Women’s Aid is a charity that carries out campaigns to aid victims of domestic violence and their children.
Their website claims that their campaigns “achieve change in policy, practice and awareness, encouraging healthy relationship and helping to build a future where domestic abuse is no longer tolerated.”
The charity believes that everyone has the human right to live in safety, free from violence and abuse.
Through their work, Women's Aid aim to empower and support women who have been affected by domestic abuse - as well as challenge and highlight the disadvantages which result from domestic abuse.
What does Women's Aid do?
Women's Aid work to "provide life-saving services and build a future where domestic violence is not tolerated."
The charity helps to offer more than 300 local lifesaving services to women and children across the UK.
Over the past year alone, the work of Women’s Aid has achieved huge successes for survivors of domestic abuse.
Achievements include:
- Investment of over £13million from the Government to save specialist domestic violence refuges.
- Coercive and controlling behaviour being made a criminal offence (hopefully coming into force later in 2015).
- Change to the evidence requirements for survivors of domestic abuse to access legal aid.
- Revenge pornography being made a criminal offence with a maximum punishment of two years in prison.
What is domestic abuse (from Women's Aid)
Women’s Aid defines domestic abuse as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, by a partner or ex-partner.
It is very common.
In the vast majority of cases it is experienced by women and is perpetrated by men.
Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to, the following:
How will your donations help Women's Aid and how can I pledge money?
When it comes to donations, Women’s Aid state: “You’re the reason we can keep providing our vital services, so no one has to face domestic abuse alone.
“Donate today and help us support more women and children living with domestic abuse.”
Those wishing to donate can either do so on a regular basis or just a one-off.
The charity goes on to say that “£25 could help us to prevent domestic abuse by helping women and children to receive essential, practical and emotional support.
“A regular gift is the most efficient way to donate and allows us to plan ahead for key projects with the knowledge that we will have the funds to continue our life-saving work for women and children around the country who are affected by domestic abuse.”
You can donate to Women's Aid at www.womensaid.org.uk/donate.
How have Women's Aid shown their support for Gemma Collins?
Gemma Collins was brutally beaten up and repeatedly kicked to the floor in a terrifying attack that saw her bleeding from her head and locked inside her own flat.
The reality star, 36, has bravely chosen to release images that show just some of the injuries she obtained the night she was assaulted in 2014.
Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, Katie Ghose, spoke about Gemma's horrific ordeal.
She said: "The story of the abuse that Gemma Collins endured which is across the headlines today is harrowing.
"Graphic images of a physical attack from three years ago, in which Gemma was repeatedly kicked, beaten to the floor and locked in her flat will be trigger memories for millions of women.
"The story confronts the reader with an upsetting truth: that nobody, not even a rich, strong, television star is immune to domestic abuse."