• What is Moray Women's Aid?
• What is domestic abuse
• What is an abused woman?
• What are our aims?
• What can you do?
• How can we help?
• What you can expect from the support workers
• How to contact us
• Your local contacts

What is Moray Women’s Aid?

Moray Women’s Aid is a charitable organisation formed in 1987 which provides temporary refuge for women and any children they may have. We are ordinary women who are concerned about domestic abuse, and many of us have experienced it ourselves.

What is domestic abuse?

Domestic abuse is the physical, mental or sexual abuse of a woman by someone she is or has been in a relationship with. Domestic abuse also affects the children living in the house, and there are links between domestic abuse and all forms of child abuse. Children and young people also experience domestic abuse either by seeing or hearing their mother’s abuse or by being abused themselves.

What is an abused woman?

There is no ‘typical abused woman’ – any woman can be abused. She may be your sister, daughter, mother, friend, client, neighbour – or you.

A woman is abused if she is ill-treated in any way – physically, mentally or sexually. At Moray Women’s Aid, we see women from all backgrounds, all ages and all sections of society.

What are our aims?

We aim to:

• provide temporary refuge for abused women, and offer support and advice to these women;
• help these women decide their own futures, whether this involves returning home or starting a new life elsewhere;
• care for the emotional and educational needs of the children;
• offer support and help to women and children who move on from the refuge;
• research into the causes, prevention and relief of domestic abuse; and
• educate the public and professional organisations about the nature and extent of domestic abuse.

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What can you do?

Contact us to talk things over. You don’t have to suffer in silence. You neither deserve such abuse nor do you have to put up with it. It is not your fault. If you are worried in any way, we can help.

Assault is a criminal offence – rape and sexual assault is still a crime even if you are married or living with a man. You may want to speak to someone you trust like a doctor or health visitor. You may need medical attention even if your injuries are slight. Tell the doctor how you were injured and ask him or her to keep a record of this.

How can we help?

We can offer you:

• advice and counselling;
• someone to talk to in confidence;
• information about your rights (legal, housing, money and so on);
• a safe place to stay (we have refuge spaces throughout Moray);
• help with arranging school and nursery places; and
• help with getting the children settled in.

You can:

• stay in the refuge for as long as you need to;
• come for a break to take time to decide what you want to do;
• live in safety (there are refuges throughout Britain);
• come back to us if you find yourself in the same position at a later date;
• get support from other women who have been in the same situation; and
• get support for your children.

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What you can expect from the support workers

The support workers will be available during office hours to offer emotional and practical support. We also operate an overnight helpline. We will not tell you what to do, but we will support you in making your own decisions and we will respect your choices.

How to contact us

Call us for refuge, information and advice on 01343 548549
or e-mail admin@mwaelgin.co.uk

Scottish Women’s Aid has a website at www.scottishwomensaid.co.uk

  Your local contacts