Renfrewshire Women’s Aid
For many years the Club has supported the local Women’s Aid based in Paisley through donations of goods and funds to help women affected by domestic abuse.
Renfrewshire Women’s Aid offer confidential and free advice and support from women for women who are affected.
Items such as bedlinen, toiletries, packs of toilet rolls, and tins of food have been provided on a regular basis. In August 2020, backpacks filled with items such as pencil cases, pencils etc. were provided for the children supported by the service, who were about to start or return to school.
Staff from the service have spoken to members at Club meetings, keeping us up to date with progress and the problems and issues they are dealing with.
Most recently we heard from them about the impact of the change in the law relating to women affected by coercive control.
At a recent meeting Marianne, Refuge Support Worker, Renfrewshire Women’s Aid, raised our awareness of the new legislation, Domestic Abuse Scotland Act Jan 2019, which now replaces Legislation that was 20 years old and recognises Coercive Abuse as well as Physical and Sexual Abuse. It also allows for the charge of Domestic Violence to be made rather than GBH or Breach of The Peace. Children are now also recognised as experiencing Domestic Abuse in this whole situation. The new Legislation captures the lived in experience of women experiencing Domestic Abuse and is expected to make a huge difference to the lives of women who are being abused.
In the current pandemic their services will be needed more than ever, as the number of cases of domestic abuse being reported have risen.