Scottish Women's Aid

Scottish Women's Aid
Founded 1973
Registered company no SC128433
Registration no. Charity number SC001099
Focus Domestic violence, Women
Location
Coordinates 55°57′07″N 3°12′06″W / 55.9519839°N 3.2016878°W
Origins Inspired by Chiswick Women's Aid
Area served
 Scotland
Method helpline, website, advocacy, advertising campaigns
Revenue
 £1,018,250
Slogan for women, children & young people
Website scottishwomensaid.org.uk

Scottish Women's Aid is a feminist charity campaigning to prevent domestic violence against women and their children. It was founded in 1973 and is an umbrella organisation for the 39 affiliated local Women's Aid groups in the country.[1] It is the largest and oldest domestic violence charity in Scotland and coordinates support and temporary accommodation to women and their children who experience domestic abuse.

The organisation also campaigns politically on behalf of female victims of domestic violence to influence public policy and conducts advertising campaigns to raise public awareness of the issue.

History

Scottish Women's Aid came into being following visits to Europe's first domestic violence shelter in Chiswick, established by Erin Pizzey.[2] With help from local authorities refuges were set up in Edinburgh and Glasgow in 1973. By the mid seventies there were eight Scottish Women's Aid shelters.[3]

Today there are 39 Women's Aid groups affiliated to Scottish Women's Aid as well as six non-affiliated Women's Aid organisations in Scotland.[4]

Funding

Scottish Women's Aid receives the majority of its funding from the taxpayer. In 2009 it had an income of over £1 million.[5]

In July 2009 Scottish Women's Aid controversially rejected almost £1,000[6] in funding that had been raised by domestic violence vicitms who had produced a semi-naked charity calendar, with the organisation receiving significant criticism for comparing the fund-raisers with sex industry workers. Jacqui Kelly of Scottish Women's Aid defended her organisation's stance stating that they were "a feminist organisation" and they "did not support women taking their clothes off to raise money".[7][8] Gillian Bowditch of The Times condemned the charity for confusing nudity and pornography, and accused them of being "mean-spirited, humourless dogmatists prepared to put a warped ideology ahead of the sensitivities of the very women they are employed to help."[9] The fund-raisers instead donated the funds raised to the Alloa branch of Women's Aid.[10]

External links

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shelter Scotland - Women's Aid in Scotland
  2. ↑ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6fsEAQAAIAAJ&q=%22scottish+women%27s+aid%22+pizzey&dq=%22scottish+women%27s+aid%22+pizzey&hl=en&ei=T2T0TPfYGsyAhQe7_7ziBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBQ
  3. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20070914105732/www.scottishwomensaid.co.uk/swahistory.html
  4. ↑ http://www.scottishwomensaid.org.uk/assets/files/publications/general/SWA_Annual_Stats_05-06.pdf
  5. ↑ Charity Index Details
  6. ↑ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/%27Sex+industry%27+clash+over+hair+salon%27s+calendar+girls-a0204344743
  7. ↑ "Women's Aid snubs calendar girls". BBC News. July 22, 2009.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Simon (July 23, 2009). "Charity refuses 'Calendar Girls' donation because it would 'support the sex trade'". The Daily Telegraph (London).
  9. ↑ Bowditch, Gillian (July 26, 2009). "It's nudity not pornography". The Sunday Times (London).
  10. ↑ Wee County News Live! - Angry calendar girls slam charity sex slur as bare-faced cheek