The Queen marks 50 years of Women's Aid

Coinciding with the United Nation’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign to end violence against women and girls, The Queen spent time with survivors, supporters and staff of the charity. 

Her Majesty saw a display illustrating key milestones in the fifty year history of Women’s Aid, from its launch in 1974 to the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act in 2021 and beyond.

Women’s Aid was founded in 1974, bringing together nearly 40 independent refuge services to create a network for women and children experiencing abuse across the country to access support. 

Today, this network has grown to include a staggering 180 specialist organisations, who run just under 300 life-saving services for survivors and their families. These include refuges but also outreach, community and other services supporting survivors and their families.

Her Majesty has spent years highlighting the work of domestic abuse charities in the UK and overseas with the aim of breaking the taboo around the subject. Last month, ITV aired a new documentary film, ‘Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors’, following The Queen’s work over the course of a year with survivors and campaigners trying to tackle violence against women.