Refuges are part of the everyday landscape of Wales, a part of the landscape that has saved the lives of numerous women and children. They are now also commonplace across many parts of the globe. No-one in their right mind would argue that they are not an essential part of women and children’s safety. They are recognised as such by the women that use them, as well as legislators and funders. Many women are only alive today because of women-only spaces.
The history
To understand how essential refuges are we need to go back to the 1970s when they grew out of the women’s movement. Women mobilised. Out of their activism and solid hard work they got us to where we are today. They were acts of immense courage at the time – by the women who set them up, and by the women who fled their homes and trusted in these new refuges. It was an entirely unpredicted and extraordinary development. Continue reading “Refuges: Women-only safe havens…or not?”
