New project by Women’s Aid

Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire are taking part in ground-breaking employability project that helps those who have experienced domestic abuse.

The‘building Equality’ campaign will focus on “the structural barriers women face when they want to gain work or progress in their careers” such as lack of childcare.

Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire have secured funding for up to two years to develop community- based solutions to those barriers and help lift women and their children out of poverty.

The group’s chief executive Heather Russell said:“we are delighted to be part of this project.

“Whilst employability goes beyond our experience in delivering domestic abuse support to our service users, it complements directly our organisational aim to challenge structural barriers women face. As such, our participation in this project will positively benefit the women and families we work with, and communities we are supported by.”

Dr Marsha Scott of Scottish Women’s Aid added:“we’re thrilled to be working with Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire on this exciting project.

People always ask why women don’t leave abusive partners, and in amongst a whole range of reasons is financial dependence; leaving often means destitution and poverty for women and their children. It’s not enough to simply condemn this, we need to think outside the box and find solutions that will lift women and their children out of poverty.

“We know that domestic abuse is both a cause and consequence of women’s inequality; by supporting women to be financially independent we are helping to create a Scotland where women, children and young people are free from domestic abuse.”