The local women’s refuge, Reigate & Banstead Women’s Aid, has changed its name to I Choose Freedom in order to better represent its growing geographical scope and constantly evolving mission to support and help victims of domestic abuse. ‘I Choose Freedom’ is a common refrain from victims of domestic abuse who recall their time at the refuges as ‘a place to recover and heal’ and ‘a place to build a new future’. The name reflects the victims’ active choices, starting with the first phone call to Women’s Aid and ending with building a new life free of abuse.
In 2020, Charlotte Kneer, CEO of Reigate & Banstead Women’s Aid, persuaded Surrey County Council to provide the charity with a building which she and her team turned into a second refuge within the space of weeks. She was inspired to do this due to the appalling increase in cases of domestic abuse during the Covid lockdowns.
In the two years since then, I Choose Freedom has grown to manage 4 refuges, with a staff of 22, and has helped 148 women and 249 children find freedom. This data is testament to the passion of Charlotte and her Head of Services, Emma Armstrong, who run the charity alongside the good governance of a very able and forward-looking board of Trustees. The stunning results are also down to the dedication and empathy of all the staff, whose aim is to offer safety, support and, often, clothing, food and toiletries to the victims when they arrive at the refuges. As the women and children begin to recover, the staff help them start new lives independently, free of the financial dependency, sexual, emotional and physical abuse and coercive control exerted by their abusers.
I Choose Freedom continues to confront domestic abuse and the systems that condone it. The charity has been instrumental in kick-starting ‘Rail to Refuge’ where victims fleeing abuse can travel to a refuge for free, whilst one of their advocates is involved with the charity ‘SafeLives’, helping create a training programme for solicitors and barristers to raise awareness within the legal profession of domestic abuse from the viewpoint of the victim. Charlotte is also currently campaigning to get a National Stalking Register started.
The refuges overseen by I Choose Freedom are a gold standard. For many years, all children living in the charity’s refuges have had access to education. Through Charlotte’s campaigning, this became embedded as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill passed by government in 2021. In addition, I Choose Freedom is one of only a handful of refuge providers who will take teenage boys fleeing with their mothers, another hot potato in the world of safeguarding vulnerable women and children. Taking inclusivity a logical step further, the charity is currently working on a project to open refuge spaces for members of the LGBT+ community (gay men are particularly impacted by domestic abuse) and people with disabilities.
As a result, I Choose Freedom is frequently held up as an example of good practice, both within the UK and internationally through the OECD. The charity has strong links with Channel 4 and the Dispatches team, as well as other media providers, and Charlotte can often be seen on the TV or heard on the radio advocating on issues surrounding domestic abuse. The team are delighted that I Choose Freedom has been nominated for the Charity Governance Awards 2022. These awards aim to recognise the inspirational success stories of small charities that have improved impact in their field during the past few years as well as trustee boards that have made long-term improvements by embracing opportunities as a result of responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
You can find out more about I Choose Freedom by visiting their website https://www.ichoosefreedom.co.uk or follow Charlotte Kneer on twitter @C_Kneer
Sandra Fine, 26th May 2022
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