Our History

Shetland Women’s Aid was formally established in 1983, but our story begins several years earlier.

Like many Women’s Aid organisations across Scotland, our roots lie in the grassroots feminist movements of the 1970s. At a time when men’s violence against women was rarely discussed publicly and often hidden behind closed doors, women across the country began organising themselves. The goal was to challenge the underlying gender inequality contributing to the violence and create support pathways for women and children subjected to abuse. Scottish Women’s Aid traces its origins to the Women’s Liberation Movement, which had active groups in a number of locations across Scotland, including here in Lerwick.

In Shetland, a small group of determined local women recognised that there was no formal support available for victims of domestic abuse across the isles. With the fundamental belief that women deserve safety, dignity, and the right to live free from fear, they volunteered their time to lay the foundations for what would become Shetland Women’s Aid.

Working informally at first, with meetings often around a member’s kitchen table, they supported countless women and children to flee for safety. Volunteers would respond to calls for help at all hours, sometimes moving women and children in the middle of the night. Temporary safe accommodation was often found through supporters willing to offer spare rooms and safe places to stay. The group also stood alongside women in housing meetings and other local authority settings, advocating for their safety and wellbeing in systems where domestic abuse was often minimised, misunderstood, or ignored altogether.  

The need for the service was not always recognised. Shetland had, as it still has, a reputation for being a safe and quiet place to live. Looking back on those early days, founding member Anne Bain recalled:

“Folk asked ‘what’s this for?’ and we said it was for Women’s Aid, they were taken aback. Folk actually said to us, ‘nah, that kind of thing doesn’t happen here’.”

Like many communities up and down the country, there was a reluctance to acknowledge the existence of domestic abuse. The women who founded Shetland Women’s Aid knew differently. They listened to local women with lived experience, recognised the reality of abuse, and worked together to ensure that support was available. This was particularly challenging in a small community, where everyone knows everyone and confidentiality is paramount.

In 1983, Shetland Women’s Aid was formally constituted. In those early years, the service operated from a portacabin on Victoria Pier, with a little weekly notice placed in the Shetland Times advertising support. What began as a small grassroots initiative quickly became an essential lifeline in Shetland’s social fabric.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Shetland Women’s Aid operated as a feminist Collective. Decision-making was shared, with staff and volunteers working collaboratively to provide support and shape the direction of the organisation. As one staff member reflected, “everyone was a manager, and everyone was a cleaner”. During this period, support was primarily therapeutic in nature, with women offered a safe, confidential space to process their experiences of trauma and begin rebuilding their lives.

As domestic abuse became better understood nationally, and the needs of women and children evolved, so too did Shetland Women’s Aid. Our organisation gradually expanded its services. We developed specialist advocacy roles, strengthened our refuge provision, began working more closely with partner agencies, and increased our focus on preventing violence through education and community engagement. Following our transition to a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) in 2016, we have adopted a more formal governance structure, however we remain firmly rooted in our original grassroots values.

While our approach has evolved over the decades, our mission has never wavered. Everything we do today remains grounded in intersectional feminism and shaped by the wisdom of the women who came before us.

Today, more than forty years later, we continue to build on the vision of those pioneering women who refused to accept that abuse should remain hidden. Their courage, determination, and belief in collective action created a service that has supported generations of women, children, and young people across Shetland.

We are proud of our history, and sincerely grateful to everyone who has been a part of the Shetland Women’s Aid journey. Together, we will continue to work towards a future where women, children, and young people can live free from abuse and where equality is a reality for everyone.