EY has donated £1,000 to Jersey Women’s Refuge and committed to supporting the charity as part of a long-term relationship.
The Jersey Women’s Refuge offers practical and emotional support to women and their children who suffer domestic abuse. They also run outreach projects that educate children, young people and professionals about how to identify domestic abuse to reduce its occurrence or escalation.
The Jersey Women’s Refuge work in close partnership with Jersey’s government departments involved in the island-wide strategy to respond to domestic violence, including social housing and children and education. In 2021, they housed 76 women and children and supported 256 more through their outreach services.
EY recently welcomed the Jersey Women’s Refuge into their office to host a workshop for their employees to ensure they were all equipped with the skills they need to take care of themselves and their loved ones. The workshop gave an overview of what domestic abuse can look like, the signs to look out for in a colleague or loved one and crucially how to provide a supportive response. It also explored the barriers to leaving an abusive relationship and what support services are available on the island to help those who need support and how to guide people towards these services.
Jersey Women’s Refuge Service Manager, Marine Oliveira (pictured with Stuart Gardner), said: “It was a privilege to visit EY and to open up the discussion about domestic abuse. We hope that by increasing awareness through corporate visits we can teach people to look for warning signs in both their lives and their colleagues and friends.
“Every single conversation about domestic abuse matters and helps to raise awareness. Ultimately, the more we talk about this hidden world, the less accepting we will be of the behaviours within it.”
Stuart Gardner, a Partner at EY in Jersey who attended the training session, said: “We are pleased to be able to support the Jersey Women’s Refuge with the work they are doing to help the vulnerable members of our community. Domestic abuse can be a difficult topic to discuss, but it’s so important that people are able to have these conversations in a safe environment. We were privileged to welcome the Jersey Women’s Refuge into our office to host this workshop and provided the skills we all need to protect ourselves, as well as our friends, family and colleagues.
“The workplace can often be considered a safe place for those affected by abuse at home, which is why it is so important for all employers to create a supportive environment with access to professional help and awareness of the support Jersey Women’s Refuge can provide.”
EY will be hosting an event to raise further awareness of the work the Jersey Women’s Refuge are doing to safeguard vulnerable members of the community and to give attendees a taster of what the workshop covers later this year. Further details will be communicated once confirmed. If you would like to be added to the invitation list, please email Lois Boyle
