For most people, Christmas is a time of joy, happiness and celebration. But for many women and children in Northern Ireland, Christmas is a time of fear and pain, overshadowed by the torment of domestic abuse.
Many women and children will endure a Christmas Day of violence and abuse, isolated in the home and prevented from contacting friends and family. Often they endure this because they feel they have no other option.
Women’s Aid exists to give women an alternative to living in the shadow of domestic abuse.
Our 24 Hour Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including Christmas Day. Our team of highly trained, experienced Helpline staff and volunteers are on hand to offer a listening ear, support, and practical information to all women and men seeking to escape a life of domestic abuse – whether that abuse is emotional, physical, sexual, or financial.
Over the last year, the Helpline managed 25,935 calls from victims, concerned friends and family, and professionals seeking to help their clients who are suffering abuse.
PSNI statistics for the same year show there were 28,392 domestic abuse incidents across Northern Ireland – that’s one domestic abuse incident every 19 minutes of every day.
Your donation will help us to respond to women and men affected by domestic and sexual violence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Your donation will also help us to:
- Deliver preventative education programmes that help children recognise abuse and stay safe
- Train front-line staff and professionals, from police to pharmacists, to understand domestic and sexual violence and how to support victims
- Raise public awareness about domestic and sexual violence and how we can tackle it
- Lobby government to provide vital support, education, protection and justice to help survivors of domestic & sexual violence to rebuild their lives
- Promote the work of our local Women’s Aid groups, who provide vital refuge and outreach services to women and children across Northern Ireland
You can donate in 3 ways:
- Send a cheque payable to Women’s Aid Federation NI to: 129 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HP
- Donate through our website here
- Text WANI01and the amount you want to donate to 70070
You can also make donations of clothes, toys, toiletries, baby items, etc. to your local Women’s Aid centre, which you can locate on our map here.
We thank for your generosity and we wish you a Peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you.