Refuge

The country's largest single provider of domestic abuse services. Refuge opened the world’s first refuge in Chiswick, West London, in 1971.

It is now the country’s largest single provider of specialist accommodation and support to women and children escaping domestic violence and other forms of violence and abuse. On any given day Refuge supports thousands of women, children and men. Refuge provides emergency accommodation through a national network of refuges, alongside many other specialist services, including the freephone 24-Hour

National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247. Refuge also offers community-based outreach services, culturally specific services and a team of independent domestic violence advocates (IDVAs), which supports women at the highest risk of serious injury or homicide. Refuge also runs award-winning media and advertising campaigns to raise public awareness of the issue and campaigns and lobbies for better provision for women and children experiencing domestic violence. Charity no. 277424
Company no. 1412276

Please note the survivor stories we share on this page are anonymised for safety.

01/06/2026

🌈 This Pride month, Refuge stands with LGBTIQ+ survivors of domestic abuse.

We know abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual identity. But LGBTIQ+ people often face unique forms of harm, stigma, and silence.

We see you, and we believe you.

Our Helpline is open to all, at any time day or night, on 0808 2000 247.

For LGBTIQ+ specialist support, contact our friends at

28/05/2026

This June, make every mile matter.
Join us on Monday and take on our challenge to walk, run, swim or roll 100 Miles in 30 days with Team Refuge.

Sign up today to get your free t-shirt and help be the reason survivors find freedom and support https://brnw.ch/21x2UkI 🩷

27/05/2026

A huge thank you to all of our incredible runners from London Marathon, London Landmarks, Brighton Marathon and Paris Marathon! Together, you raised an incredible £156,417 supporting survivors of domestic abuse.

20/05/2026

What gives you hope in your community? It turns out, we’re not as divided as we might think. Thank you to everyone who shared what makes them hopeful, including our wonderful supporters , , and 🌟

At Refuge, we believe that real change is achieved through unity. As an organisation working towards a world without domestic abuse, we have joined the A Million Acts of Hope movement because progress happens when we stand together.

19/05/2026

We are horrified by reports that women on Married At First Sight did not receive the protection and support they deserve.

Let's be clear:
- Being married does not guarantee consent
- Saying "you're making me feel like a ra**st" is victim blaming – and it’s unacceptable.
- Threatening an acid attack should never be considered a 'passing comment'

We know it can take survivors time to process, understand and name assault. That's why it's vital that welfare teams truly listen to and believe survivors.

There must be a swift and thorough investigation into the reports made in the Panorama documentary, and Channel 4 must place survivors at the heart of this.

If you or someone you know are affected by any of these issues, you are not alone. Refuge is here to support you. Our Helpline is available 24/7 on 0808 2000 247.

18/05/2026

Through storms and sunshine... we’re out celebrating by asking people to spin our wheel of hope!

A huge thank you to everyone who got involved, including our lovely supporters and , for reminding us that hope and kindness really are all around us

14/05/2026

This Deaf Awareness Week, we’re shining a light on an urgent reality: women with disabilities are twice as likely to experience abuse as non-disabled women.

For D/deaf women, barriers to support can be even greater. Communication challenges and a lack of accessible services mean many are forced to endure abuse for longer.

That’s why our Helpline’s British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation service is such a vital lifeline. It ensures that women who use BSL can access confidential, specialist support, in their own language, because everyone deserves to feel safe, and supported.

14/05/2026

Following their resignations this week, we thank both Jess Phillips MP and Alex Davies-Jones MP for their long hard-fought and impactful work to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), and to improve support for domestic abuse survivors.

They both played pivotal roles in the publication of the Government's VAWG Strategy, and we hope their impact and commitment will continue to be felt across Government, the sector, and survivors.

We now welcome Natalie Fleet MP as Safeguarding and VAWG Minister and Catherine Atkinson MP as Victims Minister and look forward to working with them to ensure effective implementation of a Strategy that puts the needs of survivors at the heart of the agenda and meets the target of halving VAWG in a decade.

06/05/2026

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with everything going on in the world, right now it can feel more divisive than ever. But acts of kindness, care and connection are happening every single day.

That's why we’re taking part in A Million Acts of Hope, we want to celebrate the good stuff - because the more hope we see, the more hopeful we’ll be.

Every message matters, every message counts. Share your message of hope today: https://campaign.refuge.org.uk/page/189878/petition/1

29/04/2026

Today marks 5 years of the Domestic Abuse Act, a landmark legislation which made the threats to share intimate images illegal.

To better understand its impact, we gathered data from police forces on reporting rates and case outcomes of intimate image abuse. 5 years on and it’s clear more needs to be done. We’re calling for:

• Mandatory police training
• Better digital evidence gathering
• Stronger accountability for tech companies
• Trauma-informed, survivor-centred responses

Survivors deserve justice, support, and protection.

Read our full report: https://refuge.org.uk/news/intimate-image-abuse-research/

Address

London
SE17TY

Website

http://nationaldahelpline.org.uk/, http://refuge.org.uk/

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