Decision removes a safe refuge

YOU probably know someone who has experienced domestic violence.

It, and its partners in crime " controlling behaviour and emotional abuse " are shockingly common.

It is likely the people you know do not feel able to share the experiences that they have behind closed doors.

However, when the chips are down, the fear that many women, and some men, have for their safety may force them to leave the home, possibly with their children in tow.

And despite the tendency of women to have their own income while being primary caregivers of children, it is common for them to face the prospect of having nowhere else to go.

That is why the decision by the City of Fremantle to withdraw financial support to Warrawee Women's Refuge seems to fly in the face of

the role we expect from it.

The City claims the State Department needs to uphold its end of the bargain.

The department says it will find an alternative provider.

But the lives of women and children are more than bargaining chips.

This decision just represents another support withdrawn those who already have so few places to turn.

Rachel Watts – Editor