Our story
Not so long ago, family violence was something many people pretended did not exist. As late as the 1970’s, women escaping violent family situations had no support from the law and no access to benefits or community agencies. At that time, society turned a blind eye to family violence. There certainly wasn’t the range of support available now.
In 1976, a group of a small group of women got together to do something about it. They started the Battered Women’s Support Group – a non-profit, voluntary telephone support group to support others in similar situations to themselves.
“We’re proud that each year, we support hundreds of women and children to move towards safety.”
That group became one of the original 11 refuges which collaborated in 1979 to set up a national association of independent refuges. Their goal was to increase public understanding of the causes and effects of family violence through research, publication of books and papers on the issue.
The Group was a non-profit, voluntary agency, which re-formed in 1985 as the Battered Women’s Trust and the declaration of the trust was formalised in 1986.
From that initial group in 1976, we have evolved to offer a range of advocacy and education services as well as emergency safe housing and a 24-hour crisis line.
What sets us apart
We offer a full range of support services across the life-cycle of a family violence journey. Our niche is in crisis response via our 0800 crisis line, which allows for immediate support.
Our safe house provides secure, safe, emergency accommodation for women, and their tamariki in Christchurch. We also use alternative accommodation, when necessary, to better meet client needs.
Battered Women’s Trust remain one of the only refuges in the Canterbury region providing long-term and on-going support groups for women and their children after they leave emergency refuge services. This includes access to free internal counselling sessions.
Battered Women’s Trust has been part of a collaborative approach to family violence for a long time through the Integrated Safety Response (ISR) system. This provides co-ordinated services and support with other professionals to ensure that a safety plan is initiated and completed with the purpose of achieving sustainable safety.