Bawso is a registered charity (1084854) that delivers support to people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds who have been affected by all forms of harmful traditional practices (HTPs) including sexual violence (SV) domestic violence (DV), female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage (FM), honour-based violence (HBV) and human trafficking (HT) for 25 years. From the outset, Bawso has also supported refugee individuals and families who have fled violence and abuse, who had moved to settle free from harm in Wales.

Bawso remained the only organisation supporting large numbers of women affected by domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) in Wales. The NRPF rule continued to represent a major and serious barrier to accessing services and justice for victims of domestic abuse and violence against women (VAW). It is the primary reason why many women with insecure immigration status are unable to leave violent relationships. During the year Bawso supported women with NRPF from Eastern Europe, spouses and partners of EU or EEA nationals, spouses of asylum seekers, those on a reunion visa, spouses of British nationals and those on student visas.

The position of BME women in confronting violence is distinct. Domestic abuse may not be condoned by all family members but it is too infrequently questioned or challenged. For many BME women it is not possible to differentiate between violence experienced as a woman and violence experienced as a BME person.

Most BME women suffering domestic abuse are not employed and have no separate disposable income, live in poor housing, and lack the education and opportunities to progress. Their isolation is made worse by language and cultural differences and they lack support and knowledge to effectively escape abuse.

We work with women to ensure that they progress towards re-establishing their lives and moving on to better housing and life opportunities.

Your donations will support women and their children in the following ways:

* By donating £333 you will help a woman fleeing the perpetrator's home and provide a roof over her and her children's head

* £65 to help provide a victim and their family with food for a week

* £350 will help a woman overcome her trauma by receiving counselling sessions

* £20 will help keep a victim's baby clean and dry by providing nappies

* £20 will help keep a victim's baby healthy by providing formula milk for a month

* £12 will improve a child education by providing a hot meal in school for a week

Join our cause, let's bring to an end the harm done through domestic violence to all survivors, and in particular women and children