Experiencing Domestic Violence?

Established in the United Kingdom since 1987, LAWA’s refuges are safe homes for Latin American, and Black and Ethnic Minoritised women who are fleeing gender-based violence, in particular domestic violence.
We run three refuges, Chia house, Jaci house, and Pacha house in confidential locations. They are only for Black and Ethnic Minoritised women and children, providing a safe space for recovery and growth with a friendly and professional staff team. Through a holistic and person-centred approach we offer individually tailored emotional and practical support plans according to each woman and child’s intersectional needs. Our refuges are spaces for new beginnings, hope and healing.

Call us if you are seeking for a refuge space.

Our advice and support centre offers information, advocacy and support to Latin American and BME women, in particular but not limited to survivors of gender based violence. Through one-to-one appointments, drop-in days, telephone advice, in-house surgeries and outreach points we offer advice and support in a wide range of areas. This includes domestic violence and other gendered forms of violence; immigration and family law; welfare benefits advice; housing and emergency accommodation; child support; career and employment advice; skills development and community integration.
To access this service, you can call book an appointment online.

Domestic violence is a very traumatic experience that can leave us with emotional scars, confused feelings, fears, memories, and damaged self-esteem. Having a space to talk about that experience with a professional counsellor can be healing.
LAWA’s in house counselling service provides psychotherapy support in Portuguese, Spanish and English. We adopt a culturally sensitive, trauma focused approach that supports women to recover their mental and emotional health and general wellbeing. Ultimately, our counselling aims to empower women to recover their self-confidence and take control over their own lives. Counselling sessions are free and individual. They provide a safe, confidential, non-judgmental environment for you to express and reflect on your problems, the suffering that violence has left in your life and those around you. To access this service, please contact us through our advice and support centre.

In partnership with English for Action, LAWA offers English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes to Latin American and BME women, helping them to overcome such barrier to inclusion. Every Wednesday and Thursday we offer English lessons from 5:00pm-7:00pm – beginner, elementary and intermediate levels. All you have to do is come on either of those two days and sign up with the English teacher, who will evaluate the level that best suits your needs.
We also run a crèche service during English classes to enable mothers to attend classes. Both services are completely free of charge.

If you need support with any issue NOT related to Domestic Violence, please use the online chat or call us to help you book an appointment. We run this service only on Tuesdays from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and have a weekly capacity of 15 appointments. You can choose between an online or face-to-face appointment.

At LAWA, we offer support with issues related to employment, housing, education, and benefits.

If your case is related to Domestic Violence or any other form of violence against women, please call us on 020 7275 0321 or use our online chat.

Our Change Maker Programme is an intersectional and intergenerational feminist space for Latin Americans and BME women to meet, learn and grow together. The project has been designed to address themes such as gender inequalities and intersectionality; violence against women and girls; sisterhood and self-care; ecofeminism; migration, diaspora and racial identities; sexual diversity; spirituality and resilience; and migrant women’s involvement in community struggles.

Based on theoretical frameworks of black intersectional feminism and Latin American Communitarian Feminism and using popular education methodologies (See; Judge; and Act) the program encompasses workshops, alternated with outings, and group attendance to community events and actions. Some workshops are foreseen to be co-delivered by participants to foster peer-to-peer support and empower them to become multipliers. In addition to creating a safe space to share personal experiences, the programme promotes a culture of solidarity, sisterhood, personal and collective empowerment which ultimately lead women to become change makers.

For more information about our programme you can contact Daniela Cardona, our Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator Officer, at the following email address [email protected].

We provide immigration support to Latin American and other Black and Minoritised Women survivors of gender-based violence who need immigration advice as part of their case.
Additionally, we also run an appointment system for general immigration enquires, such as: applications for entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain; basic applications that are within the Immigration Rules; Basic applications for nationality and citizenship under the UK Law; settlement and pre-settlement applications among others.
You can use our online system to book an appointment: https://lawaimmigration.simplybook.it/v2/#book

We offer specialized services for BME children and young people at the refuge. Our Children and family support worker runs weekly activities to encourage their recovery and the reestablishment of the relationship with their mothers after living or witnessing traumatic violent experiences.

We also provide specialized counselling services for children in their own language.