History of the NSW Women's Refuge Movement

After the 1974 International Women’s Day celebration, a group of women established the first women’s refuge in Australia, now Elsie Refuge for Women and Children, a member refuge of the NSW Women’s Refuge Movement (WRM). Other refuges were soon established, funded solely by community donations. It took until January 1985 for refuges to receive secure funding.

Throughout its history, the WRM has had significant input into improving the overall responses to women and children escaping domestic violence and sexual abuse through representation on government and interagency working groups, steering committees and advisory councils to provide advice and influence policy and legislation.

The WRM is now a statewide representative body of 57 refuges with a specific focus on providing consistent quality support for women and children escaping domestic violence. The WRM has been used as a major advocate and resource for women and children’s refuges in NSW.

About the NSW Women's Refuge Movement Resource Centre (WRMRC)

The NSW Women’s Refuge Movement Resource Centre (WRMRC) was established in 1986 and is the point of contact for the WRM. The WRMRC resources, educates and informs the sector, community and government on issues affecting the delivery of effective services to women and children escaping domestic violence and sexual assault. The WRMRC also provides resources and support for the WRM.

Refuges are more than a place to stay

NSW women and children’s refuges strive to provide a holistic response to women and children escaping domestic violence. The services provide and assist with access to: counseling, court support, follow up support, children’s programs, outreach services, referral, advocacy, access to an interpreter, disability access, transitional/exiting housing, prevention and education programs for the community, medical assistance, mental health issues, drug and alcohol issues, gambling issues.

Domestic violence is putting more and more women and children on the streets

Domestic violence continues to be a significant women’s and children’s health and human rights issue in Australia, occurring across all social classes, races and cultures.

Recent figures show that domestic violence is single most prevalent cause for women and children accessing homeless assistance services in Australia. Domestic violence has consistently remained the single most prevalent cause since the beginning of data collection in 1996. The ABS Women’s Safety Survey in 1996 determined that at least 23% of women in Australia have experienced domestic or family violence, accounting for 2.2 million women. National data shows that in 2003-04, 33% (32,700) of the clients accessing a homeless assistance services were women escaping domestic violence.  

The number of women and children homeless due to domestic violence has increased over the years as a result of a number of factors, including:

• The Commonwealth Government’s ‘Australia Says No Campaign’ has raised awareness of domestic violence without any increase in services
• The police have been taking an increasingly proactive approach to domestic     violence     to meet legislative requirements
• Mandatory reporting of children who witness and experience domestic violence and abuse
• The continuing decrease in affordable exit housing options for women and children ready to leave our services means that they now often stay in services longer

Women and children needing support are being turned away

In 2003/04, around 1 in 2 women who approached a refuge were turned away. Last year, a snapshot survey of the 56 member refuges of the WRM found that eleven refuges alone were forced to turn away 367 women and 436 children in a two month period; February-March, 2005.

The WRM has extreme concerns regarding the growing number of women and children seeking to escape domestic violence that cannot be accommodated. This often results in women and children having to return to the violence they have just fled.

Children are living with violence everyday

The WRM is continually working to improve the resources, responses and programs available for children in refuges. Over recent years a large body of research has been undertaken that clearly establishes the short and long-term impacts of domestic violence on children’s health including their social, psychological, emotional and educational wellbeing. Research indicates that services for children must address the impacts of domestic violence as soon as possible to lessen the likelihood of more serious long term impacts of domestic violence.

The Access Economics Report in 2004 estimated that in 2002-2003, 263,000 children lived with family violence. This estimate is considered to be very conservative given the high levels of lack of disclosure regarding domestic violence.

Children are the single largest group in the homeless service system. In 2003-04 nationally, 66% (34,700) were children accompanying a female parent or guardian escaping domestic violence into a homeless assistance service. The majority of these children were aged 12 years and under. Around 2 in 3 children were turned away from a homeless assistance service. Most of these were accompanying women escaping domestic violence.

The government has commissioned research into the impacts of domestic violence on children and effective timely interventions, but no funds have been allocated to implement practices to address these findings.

We want to be able to help more

The WRM is committed to addressing the short and long term health and well being of women and children who have suffered the trauma of domestic violence and we welcome your interest in our work. However, a Government commissioned national evaluation concluded that an extra 15% funding is needed just to maintain the viability of existing services and an extra 35-40% to expand existing service capacity to address unmet demand, eg. to stop 1 in 2 women being turned away. There is effectively a five year funding freeze in a time when the Government projects a $10 billion plus budget surplus.

If you would like to help us do more

If you would like to help us do more, write a letter to the Federal Minister for Community Services or your local member, or donate to the WRM.