What if you no longer felt safe in the place which you call home?

What if, from one day to the next, the person whom you love became a threat to your life?

What if your children couldn’t sleep for fear of what could happen in their home?  

What would you do? Where would you go for support and protection? 

In Bermuda, many people have had to ask themselves these terrifying questions. 

Locally our police service responds to approx. 75 domestic abuse reports monthly.

In Bermuda 1 in 3 people have been physically abused– a damning 33% of the 2011 population. 

Over the last 25 years Bermuda has seen close to 25 people killed due to domestic violence.

90% of all female homicides in Bermuda are domestic violence related

… and these are only the reported figures.  Domestic abuse is a major social problem that is often unreported, especially by men who fear not being taken seriously.

Recently CAA received a call from a former client who said that if it were not for us she would be having her birthday behind bars. Because when she came to CAA she thought her only way out was to kill her abuser.

Prior to September, battered women and their children knew that they could go to Bermuda’s only safe house for victims of domestic violence run by the Centre Against Abuse (charity # 146).

Last year alone, the Centre Against Abuse (CAA) helped more than 120 women and the safe house offered shelter to 31 women and children.  Nearly 100 clients have received assistance from CAA so far this year. 

But due to a critical shortfall the safe house was closed at the end of August; as an already low government grant was tragically reduced and private giving being substantial decreased during the year.

The Centre Against abuse is also concerned that it may have to discontinue its other invaluable programmes which include: hotlines, counselling, community education, court advocacy, and resettlement services. 

Outside of the Bermuda Police Service, CAA is the only organization that provides a service dedicating to ending domestic abuse. 

At the Centre Against Abuse, we believe that our government should take the lead to end domestic abuse, as Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights encourages Governments to protect its citizens’ “right to life and security of person”, and this includes domestic violence.  

We are requesting for you to sign this petition asking government to comit to the following:

                 (A) Support the Centre Against Abuse through an annual grant                          of at least $200,000 that will urgently help to save the safe house

(B) Develop and fully implement a comprehensive action plan to end domestic violence in Bermuda outlining how they will work to end domestic abuse in Bermuda through comprehensive legislation, policy, and action plans.