About us - Who we are

In September 1985, a small group of black women with the help and support of Edinburgh and Lothian Women’s Aid applied to then Edinburgh District Council for funding to set up a separate refuge for black women.

Shakti opened in 1986 to provide a service for Black/ Minority Ethnic women and their children, who are escaping from domestic abuse.

The name Shakti a Hindi word meaning ‘strength’ was decided by founding members as particularly symbolic of the group’s aim and objectives. Shakti is for all black women. The use of the term black is one of political choice. It indicates refusal to adopt divisive tactics in order to separate out different minority groups. Because in order for us to be women of strength, as our name suggests, we must have a united front so that no-one can divide and rule us.

The need for a separate refuge arose as black/minority ethnic women have additional barriers to overcome, such as:

Communication: Some black women may need language support to enable them to express themselves freely especially when talking about their personal history. We give them a choice of languages in which they may choose to express themselves. A woman fluent in English may wish to talk in her own language in a crisis situation. There is also a common myth that African women are all English speakers and do not need language support. This marginalises women from Africa who may only speak Arabic and/or French.

Religious and dietary practices: Some women have different religious and dietary practices that are important in their lives. We recognise the need for women to have access to a safe space within a refuge for worship and spiritual practice. In addition to this some women also want separate cooking facilities which cater for Halal or vegetarian meals. It is important that the women have space to cook and eat whatever food they are accustomed to without having to explain or apologize for their beliefs.

Racism: Racism colours many facets of black women’s experience of living in Scotland. From individual racism from people on the street to structural racism such as immigration laws, and other discriminatory practices which may exist within mainstream service provision. Black/minority ethnic women experience these as additional barriers which other women escaping abusive situations do not encounter.

In April 1986, the Edinburgh District Council Housing Department, under the Homeless Person Act, approved funding for office premises and two part-time workers and by September 1986, the workers were in post.

In June 1987, the first refuge for Black/minority ethnic women was opened. Edinburgh District Council had agreed to rent Shakti a four apartment semi-detached house situated in a fairly quiet residential area.

The demand for Shakti’s service has increased over the years. There is an increase in the number of women fleeing from forced marriages and accessing Shakti’s services. As well as women who are discriminated against due to Immigration controls which do not allow women access to public funds and publicily funded housing should their relationships break down due to domestic abuse.

As a result of a successful bid through the Scottish Executive, Shakti was able to double its refuge space and provide a much more secure place for the women to live in.

Shakti opened its purpose built refuge on 4th February 2004 which consists of four self contained flats with a shared space for children’s play room and an office. Shakti also has access to City of Edinburgh temporary accommodation.

The current staff team consists of a project manager, three full time case workers, two children’s workers, two part-time follow-up support workers, three part time refuge support workers based at the refuge (5pm to 10 pm), one full time admin/support worker, one full time finance worker, one part-time admin/finance worker and one full time information and education worker.

We have a diverse staff team from a range of backgrounds and ethnicities. Some of the languages spoken by the staff are: Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi and Singhalese.

So we are fairly unique in this sense.

 

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