Domestic abuse is of paramount concern within the Polish community in Edinburgh. Polish women are disproportionately overrepresented in local women’s organisations (10% of Edinburgh Women’s Aid clients are Polish) and constitute 40% of our waiting list for the free counselling.

Developing specialist counselling interventions for CEE victims of domestic abuse has come about following an increase in referrals for Polish women for counselling from our partners Edinburgh Women’s Aid, Shakti Women’s Aid and Respekt Safer Families. Over the last three years, with the support of the funders (Women’s Fund, Tampon Tax, #ShiftthePower), we tried and tested various approaches (group and individual) that gave us the confidence that we are now able to offer the survivors a holistic range of services that would not only support their trauma recovery but also help to integrate them back to the society.

While delivering the services, we are committed to the highest level of standards in line with the Scottish law, safeguarding policy and continuous development of our staff. Our therapists are trained in trauma recovery and our Mental Health Services Manager is also a trained IDAA (Independent Domestic Abuse Advisor).

“Violence is not only … Domestic violence is also words”/Przemoc to nie tylko…

Was an awareness-raising campaign of various aspects of domestic violence (primarily emotional and financial) among Poles living in the UK. The campaign also aimed to provide information on the various forms of available assistance. It was organized during 16 Days Against Violence (November 25-December 10 2017) by the Polish Women Support Network (PWSN) and coordinated by Feniks.